A New Shattered World
by Tia and Tori INC
Summary: Sequel to On the Brink of War. Shawn's dead, leaving Tori heartbroken, Tia's and Zack's reletionship is going down the drain, and the traitor is back. Will these young demigods save the world of a new Golden Age?  Romace Drama, death...Kinda deep story.
1. Kill Me

**HK: Yay! Wait no... WHY THE HADES AM I CHEERING?**

**TT: I was about to say... **

**TV: This is the sequel to On the Brink of War! So poor Tori...**

**RW: NO SUMMARY! JUST READ! Go Go Go!**

**Disclaimer: Rick escaped Tartarus, somehow...**

Tori's POV

No, no...NO! This can't be! He can't be... He couldn't possibly be... No! I... Can't believe... He's gone... He... I... Gone... Love... Death... Hero... NO!

Words kept skipping in my mind like a broken record, because Shawn couldn't be dead. I loved him! Why him? Hades, please, take me instead! Let him live!

But it was too late. He was gone. His broken, bloody body told me so. His heart had no rate. I couldn't hear his soft breathing. He didn't move a single muscle. There was nothing I could do. I was broken too, because I couldn't believe he was gone.

Dead.

Deceased.

Lost.

All of that was what described him right now. I couldn't take it. Tia sobbed next to me. But I wasn't aware of that. All I was thinking was that I wanted him back.

My worst nightmare had come true.

"Shawn! No... Please! Wake up..." I shook his body, praying this wasn't happening. He did show any sign of life, "Please! Don't... Don't leave me... I l-love y-you..." Tears streaked my dusty face. I didn't care if I was still wounded, because my pain couldn't increase. He was all I ever cared about, and now he was gone.

"Tori." Luke put a weak hand on my trembling shoulder.

"I have to... He isn't..."

"Tori." he griped my shoulder harder, his voice more forceful. "I know how much he meant to you... But he's gone."

"No! He can't be! Just... LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed, burying my face in my hands, putting them in between my knees. I shook with emotion. "I... Loved him..." I murmured, sobbing. I looked up, took my hand gripped Shawn's. Limp as could be.

I sat there for hours, not moving, except for the tears streaking my face. Everyone else had gone, trying desperately to control the small submarine. I just sat there, crying my eyes out.

"Tori!" Tia yelled, tears still flowing from her eyes. I didn't show any sign of hearing her.

"Help us!" Annabeth called, desperately trying to take control.

But I still sat there, crying until I was drained out. Then I just sat in the corner, thinking about him. The rest of them were yelling and screaming and trying to take control of the sub. But I didn't care about them right now.

Zack's POV

I really feel bad for Tori. She's been crying for almost four hours. Tia cried for two and a half. Her eyes were red. I tried to comfort her but it seemed to just make her cry more. Maybe it's best if I just leave her alone.

The submarine has totally insane. Making sharp turns uncontrollably and foreign fish kept slamming into the front window. It was hilarious. But when Annabeth saw me laughing, she punched me.

"Moron!" she yelled. "Can you at least help? Here" she led me to where Shawn sat, looking at the radar, before he... Well... You get the point. "Just tell us if there's anything that appears on the radar."

I did as told, it was boring.

All of a sudden, while everyone was messing with the controls, the entire front of the submarine smashed into a large bolder in the sea. Tia and Luke were in front.

"OH GODS!" I ran to Tia. She was stuck under the desk-table thingy, screaming "OWWWWWW! HEELP!"

I used a loose pipe to cram the desk upward, letting her free. "OH MY GODS! ARE YOU HURT? ARE YOU ALIVE? SAY SOMETHING!"

"I think I broke my arm.." she was holding her elbow. A piece of glass was stuck in her leg.

"Oh gods okay come over here.." I took her arm and slung her over my shoulder and carried her like people in the army do. I brought her to the chair I was sitting in and I carefully took the glass out. She screamed.

She was bleeding now, a lot, and I ripped the long sleeve off of my shirt and wrapped it around the wound. Then I ripped off my other sleeve and made a sling for her arm.

"Ow... Thanks" she made a half smile.

I kissed her forehead. "You're gonna be okay.. We're gonna make it out of here.."

She looked into my electric blue eyes with her sparkly dark brown-black eyes.

"Hey lovebirds!" Luke shouted. "Could ya, oh, I don't know, HELP?" he was still stuck under the desk.

Annabeth ran over and helped him out. Her hand grabbed his, and he took a small breath. They stared into each other's eyes and Annabeth suddenly looked away, thinking about Percy.

"Okay, how are we gonna get out of here.. HOLY CRAP!" he pointed to the floor, which was flooding.

"OH MY GODS! WE CANT ESCAPE! WE LOST BOTH OF OUR POSEIDON PEOPLE!"

Percy's POV

I returned to camp, after losing Shawn. I didn't know where he was, but I didn't sense him at sea. But I did sense a large group of demigods out. One of them being dead, but I couldn't tell who was dead. But I knew something was very wrong. I ran to the beach, and dove under the waves.

Tia's POV

I stared at the water, gushing in our only safe place. Everyone was rushing, trying to find water suits and air masks. Tori was the only one not doing a thing. She was still kneeling next to Shawn's body.

"Tori! Get up! We gotta move!" I screamed, running over to her.

"No... Let me die. We can't pretend that we can make it. I wanna die." she muttered.

"Tori! What are you, emo? Common!"

"No! Don't you understand? If I live, I'll be miserable! Shawn's dead, so let me die too!"

"TORI YOU ARE BEING RIDICULUS! NOW GET UP!" I grabbed her arm.

"NO! KILL ME TIA! KILL ME! I DONT WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO DIE!" she tried to let loose of my grip. "GAH! You are strong for an Aphrodite!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" I screamed.

Before I could punch her, water rushed up my shirt. Now we were fully underwater. Translation: We are screwed.

Tori smiled, and I saw her mouthing, "I'm coming soon..."

Suddenly, a boy at the speed of light, rushed in and grabbed us. He led us out of the sinking submarine, out of the water.

We all gasped air.

Then I took a look at our hero.

"PERCY!" I hugged him. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

"No problem" he chuckled and saw Annabeth.

"Annabeth" he said quietly.

"Percy" she replied and hugged him. "You're my hero"

**TT: WHAT DID YOU THINK? DID WE START OFF GOOD?**

**HK: WELL I HOPE SO.**

**TV: NOW PRESS THAT LITTLE BUTTON ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE THAT WE LOVE SO VERY MUCH!**


	2. I'm Bringing Him Back!

**TT: Hades looks like McJagger in the movie...  
HK: Okay?  
TV: Enjoy the chapter!  
**  
Annabeth's POV

Percy grabbed my hand, I grabbed Tia's, Tia grabbed Zack's, Zack grabbed Tori's, and Tori grabbed Luke's. Once we all had a grip on each other, wind smashed against our faces as we swam at the speed of light. Just our heads and necks were in air.  
We took the same route back to camp as we did coming. We all cheered when we finally reached our home: Camp Half-Blood.

Tia's POV

"Tia!" My sister Meghan and the rest of my cabin ran to me.  
"GUYS!" I hugged them, and we screamed like he girly girls we are. And the rest were at their cabins.  
Annabeth was hugging her favorite sister, Shelby. "Annabeth, I am disappointed in you. You forgot to bring me Kronos's head!" she laughed.  
But most people were excited to see Luke. Asking him questions and stuff. What bugged me most: people were asking where Dylan was.  
"Tia, where's Dylan?" they asked. I would just run to another group and talk. Aren't I so popular?

Tori's POV  
My half-siblings were comforting me endlessly, encouraging me to move on, or saying how sorry they are.  
They weren't helping my mood.  
I was also chosen to light Shawn's funeral pyre. Not a happy thought.  
Poseidon had retrieved his body from the wreckage of the ship. Instead of him being completely dry, he was soaked. That was proof he was dead. Did I need more proof?  
Today was the funeral. I couldn't force myself to be there, so my cabin asked the Ares cabin to drag me there. Not a bad idea, but it was annoying.  
I didn't bother dressing up, or even brushing my hair, so I was a mess. My eyes were red, and tears started streaking my face again. This may as well be called the worst day of my life.  
I was dragged the stage. the crowd died down. A lot of the onlookers has tears in their eyes. Then I realized how popular he was at camp. At least I wasn't the only one feeling down.  
I shakily held the torch, so I could light the pyre when I was done. I began saying my goodbyes. My goodbyes were mostly speaking for the whole camp, and it was short. I couldn't bring myself to write more, much less say it. But it was sweet. Some of the Aphrodite kids were crying, not much for him, but for the lost love...

He was t-the g-great-greatest friend I ever had, but he w-was m-more than that... I-I..." I couldn't bring myself to say it. I was about to light the pyre aflame, but something stopped me.  
"No..." I whispered, but nobody could hear me.  
"No! I won't light this shroud! He's not dead!" I found myself shouting. Confused, insane looks were cast on me. I shook the feeling off.  
"Tori, as much as we hate to admit it, he's obviously dead!" someone shouted. I glared, and the voice backed off. I continued.  
"I-I'm not going to let him stay dead any longer!" I couldn't believe what I was saying. "I'm doing the impossible! I'm going to bring him back! Without him, I wouldn't be able to live!" I shouted, determination overriding my fear and sorrow.  
"Tori, I truly admire you're determination, but this is absolutely insane." Poseidon reasoned sadly. But in his eyes, I saw a look of pride. He believed I could do it.  
"Lord Poseidon, I do not mean to offend you but there is a saying that 'The possible was once considered impossible.' I can do this! And I'm not doing this alone! Tia, Zack, and Percy... And Nico! Can you help me?" I asked.  
"Hades yeah!" Tia screamed, jumping out of her seat. Zack rose too.  
"Count me in!"  
Percy jumped up, "If it's for Shawn, then yeah!"  
Only Nico hesitated.  
"I don't know... My dad would kill me!"  
"Please Nico?"  
"No."  
"Why not?"  
"Because I'll get in trouble..." he looked away. I threw the torch down.  
"Dude, don't mess with the pissed off me."  
"You don't scare me."  
"Nico di Angelo..."  
"Fine!" he gave in. But at that very moment, Chiron returned.  
"Victoria," I hardened my gaze when I heard my full first name, "You don't have permission for a quest! There is a war! You should be helping instead of trying to raise one of the many who has died!"  
"Chiron, I don't think we told you exactly what happened... Shawn... Didn't die at war..." I admitted. I kinda lied about the titans coming back... "The truth is... Dylan... Killed him... He was working for the titans, who are back... And... They're using the war as a chance to take over Olympus..." I admitted slowly. Chiron's face turned red with anger.  
"AND YOU NEVER TOLD US?"  
"Sorry! But I had to! If I just came out clean and told you, you might think I was lying! And on the bright side... Tia killed Dylan." I laughed nervously. Everyone turned to look at Tia, who just smiled proudly and crossed her arms behind her head.  
"I would not have!" Chiron's face now red with embarrassment. Uh huh, REALLY!  
"Can we go on the quest or not?" I complained. Chiron began to shake his head, but the camp recalled a well known chant.  
"We want a quest!...We want a quest!..."  
"Campers, this is ridiculous!"  
"WE WANNA QUEST! WE WANNA QUEST!" they chanted louder, the fire in the pit shot fifty feet high, replacing the purple flames with bright yellow, slowly turning red.  
"Fine! Tori, you have chosen the quest companions! Go get a prophecy..." he muttered. We all cheered, everyone carried us on their shoulders towards the Big House. This was going to be interesting...

**TT: Okay! What did you think?  
HK: Please review! We need to know how the new story is coming!  
RW: Sorry.. She's impatient...  
HK: :D**


	3. We Are Doomed!

**HK: Imma hero now!**

**TT: SHOWOFF!**

**RW: When do... *mouth is covered by Tori and Tori***

**TV and HK: SHUT UP AND READ!**

**Disclaimer: *Rick's books are on an unprotected table* HK: *tries to take books, but it's a hologram* DANG IT! TT: *goes hammer insane on the hologram machine* AHHHHHH!**

Tia's POV

Wow.

I'm still awed that Tori ruined her boyfriend's funeral, only to announce she was going to bring him back. But it wasn't a bad thing.

The camp was done with sending soldiers to war, and they were busy enhancing the borders and defenses of camp.

I just hoped it would be enough as we were carried to the Big House to get a prophecy.

We were dropped off at the porch, and most of the camp had gathered around, waiting for us to enter. They wanted to hear the prophecy. I nodded towards the others and we entered the blue farm house.

We walked up the stairs and through the green trapdoor. The smell of reptiles and dust filled my nose. Ew.

Mementos were scattered on the tables, showing no sign of organization. We walked over to where light filtered through the partially open white curtains. Rachel sat up there, displaying her finished painting next to her. I saw what the painting was of.

It was of Shawn's death.

It showed him lying, dead on the floor. Tori was kneeling over him, in tears. It was scarily accurate. It was like Rachel was there to see it.

That's rough.

Tears formed in Tori's eyes again, and Rachel seemed to understand. She rushed over and hugged Tori, but Tori hardened her eyes. She knew what she was here for, and that wasn't for comfort.

She cleared her throat, "Rachel, we kinda need another prophecy."

"You do? I would think since Shawn... Oh no, you can't be serious!" Rachel realized. We all nodded. She nodded reluctantly. She sat down on the wooden stool and relaxed. Her eyes glowed a neon green, and a green mist curled around us. Talk about going green!

Our figures appeared in the mist. We all shivered.

"Five will travel to the land of the dead." Misty me spoke.

"The Earth shaker's son will be risen again." Mist Percy said.

"But during that time, a traitor will rise as well." Nico spoke (mist).

"The world will fall, and chaos will swell" Mist Tori spoke. None of us said anything as the mist disappeared, but we shook out of our shock in time to catch Rachel.

"Wh-what did the prophecy say?" Rachel asked. Percy glanced at me. I knew what he was saying. He was saying, 'Don't say anything'.

"You don't wanna know..." we all warned. Rachel frowned.

"Ok. Well, good luck." we said bye, and just as we were about to descend, she called out. "Wait! Here!" she handed us her painting. "Study it. You might find something important."

I didn't see any flaw in that. We had a limited time to look for anything helpful, so this might help. But I didn't think we missed anything. I thanked her and we walked out.

Caitlin's POV

The quest group walked out of the Big House. I ran up to them.

"Hey! What's the prophecy?" I asked happily. Nico frowned.

"I wouldn't ask them."

"Why?"

"Don't push us further." Tia pleaded.

"Was it really that bad?" I asked.

"STOP ASKING!" all of them shouted. I backed off.

"Ok... Geez..." I muttered as the crowd walked off, slightly disappointed. Tori showed me a painting Rachel must have made, and I gasped.

"Oh gods... That happened?" I asked Tori. She looked away, her eyes looking as fragile as glass. I slowly backed away, and then I broke into a run, heading towards my cabin.

Travis an Conner greeted me.

"Hey li'l sis!" they chorused. I glared.

"Never call me that again. Get the rest of the cabin. I gotta tell ya something. Oh and do me a favor..." I whispered in their ears what I needed them to do.

Thirty minutes later, after a few delays, several angry counselors, and a near death attack from the Ares cabin, we managed to get our cabin to Zeus' Fist for a meeting. We can be organized once and a while ya know!

All talking ceased when I climbed up to the top of the mound of rocks. I cleared my throat.

"Alright. I called you all here at such an... Inconvenient time, because I have a valuable piece of information! I saw a painting Rachel made, showing what happened at the time of Shawn's death." I explained. Some people looked away at the word 'death'.

"Well, where's the painting?" Cassie yelled. I glared daggers at her.

"Travis! Did ya get it?" I asked. He nodded, and his brother brought it up. I held it high, and all my half-siblings gasped. Some covered their eyes. I rolled my eyes.

"No I'm not talking Shawn's bloody corpse! Though that is an important factor... Look at the bottom left hand corner!" I pointed to Dylan, sneaking away as water flooded into the cabin. Everyone said things along those lines.

Three words for you.

We. Are. Doomed.

**HK: HOLY S***!**

**TT: WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!**

**HK: I JUST FOUND MY FRIEND THAT I HAVENT SEEN SINCE PRESCHOOL AND I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT HER (no offense) UNTIL I MET HER BOYFRIEND ON THIS SITE AND I REUNITED WITH HER!**

**All: WHO CARES?**

**HK: I DO! REVIEW FOR MY HAPPINESS TO DIE DOWN!**

**TT: Please!**


	4. The Breakup

**HK: I'm going...to f*n kill you.**

**TT" *screams like the Aphrodite girl I am***

**HK: SORRY FOR THE WAIT! Enjoy! Grr... **

**TT: AHHHHH!1 *runs***

**Disclaimer: WE WENT THROUGH ALL OF THAT...and we still don't own PJO.**

Tia's POV

I was walking to Zack's cabin. I haven't hung out with him (just me and him) in a week. That ain't good.

"Hey babe" he greeted me while I walked through his door. I kissed him quickly.

"Hey" I replied. I sware, I felt my mother's presence near us.

He put his arm around me and told me to sit down on the couch. "Wanna watch a movie?"

I nodded in agreement. The movie was cool, romantic. I smiled warmly at the thought.

After the movie, me and Zack kissed for a bit, until I pulled away. "Oh gods, sorry I have to go to the archery range with Shelby."

"Noooooooo" he whined while smiling.

"Sorry I promised" I was smiling at him charmingly. One of my many talents.

He grabbed my arm softly and made me sit down again, while he kissed me.

I pulled away. "I gotta go. I'll see you after, k?" I walked out of the cabin.

While I was walking to the archery range, I heard a low growl coming from the strawberry fields. It must've woken the camp up, 'cause everyone came out of their cabins.

After it stopped, I started walking again. But it came closer, louder...

I got very frightened.

All of a sudden, a giant dog with piercing red eyes came at me. I quickly sidestepped but it still got my shoulder. Pain stung through my body. I drew my sword.

I saw Zack and Tori, staring in awe. I was still fighting the hellhound screaming "HELP ME!"

Tori came running and helped me. My jaw almost dropped when I saw that Zack hasn't moved. He wasn't helping me.

Tori took the rear out the hellhound and I took the front. She shot arrows and I slashed my sword. About everyone in camp came and helped except for Zack.

When we killed the monster, I ran up to Zack and slapped him.

"Hey!" he yelled, rubbing his face.

"You are so careless! You didn't help your own girlfriend fight a huge monster, clawing at her!" I pointed to the gash in my arm. He didn't face any facial expression; he didn't care.

"But sweetie, you know how I don't want to get killed and I don't want to fight monsters" he smiled. Was that supposed to be funny?

"Oh, so I'm not worth on fight? I'm not just some girl that you kiss whenever you're bored! You're supposed to care for me! I'm your girlfriend!" I screamed in his face. Everybody was watching, but I didn't care at all.

"Well you expect me to save the day everytime!" he screamed right back.

"That's because you are so careless that you wont even think of doing it yourself! I cant take it anymore!"

"What are you saying?" his expression turned grim.

"It means" I sighed. "It means... this isn't gonna work out. Were over!" I yelled. He stared in disbelief as i made my way through the crowd. I slammed the door to my cabin, crying.

Tori's POV

I ran after Tia. I opened her door and sat down next to her saying "It's okay... he wasn't worth it"

She looked up at me. "Are all Aphrodites treated this way?"

I sighed. "No"

She sniffled. "We are never meant to have a long term relationship"

I held her like the best friend I am.

Caitlin's POV

We burst through the Aphrodite door faster than you can say-well-a really short word!

"Dylan...still alive...caused hellhound...after you..." I gasped for air and pointed at Tia.

"W-what?" she stuttered. I finally caught my breath.

"He sent the hellhound to kill you" I sighed. "I think he's after you"

"What? How do you know that?" she snapped.

"I had a dream."

_Beginning of Dream_

_I couldn't see anything. It was all blurry. I could hear a boy-Dylan- talking to himself._

"_How dare that little wanna-be-princess try to destroy me! She liked me!" he hesitated. "I liked her..." _

_I heard something shatter. "No! why would I like a silly girl from the Aphrodite cabin? Who obeys the gods" he roared. "I will destroy her little posse.. but her first..."_

_End of Dream_

She fainted. I expected that. This just wasn't her day...

**TT: WHY ME?**

**HK: I dunno...**

**TT: AHHHHHHHHHH!**

**TV: *tosses Tia her hammer***

**HK: HEY!**

**TV: Sorry.**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Girl in the Picture on my Bedroom Wall

**HK: TIAAAA!**

**TT: Yes? *bats eyebrows***

**HK: CHARM SPEAK DON'T WORK WITH ME!**

**TT: Awwwwww…**

**Disclaimer: Is it really necessary to rub this in our faces?**

Meghan's POV

Yesterday was rough for Tia. I mean, she just broke up with her boyfriend! I guess now she's had her Rite of Passage… maybe… 'cause, you know, she didn't do it to break his heart, but she still did it… I have to ask mom about that…

Tia brought us all over to Archery, where, naturally, we all sat behind the targets, gossiping. Tia was the only one shooting arrows.

But she wasn't able to hit the bulls-eye. She usually did it on her first shot. That's kind of sad, because she was an awesome archer most of the time. Every time she missed the target (Which was currently very frequent.), she got even more aggravated. All of us felt bad for her.

She wasn't so hyped for the quest anymore, ether. Zack was still in on it. Many of us tried to charm speak him out of it, but it just didn't come naturally for us, like it did for Tia. He refused to back down.

Tori, on the other hand, was nervous. She constantly paced back and forth, spent more time at the beach, or in the Athena cabin, asking for strategies. Unfortunately, they had no plans for raising the dead, except for getting a son of Hades on your side. But that was only giving them a slim chance, from what we've heard.

Why do we care so much about this? 'Cause it's romantic! DUHHH!

So anyways, Shawn's dead, Dylan (so we've heard) Is alive, Zack and Tia, Splitsville, the not so usual.

What else is new? There's nothing we don't know about. But this time, everyone is so dark! No one will even say ANYTHING to ANYONE. Which means we can't eavesdrop. How much are we missing?

Tori's POV

I can't shake this feeling. What if we fail? I couldn't stand that. Which is why I gotta keep planning!

I walked back into the Athena cabin of the twentieth time today. I walked up behind Annabeth, Malcolm, and Shelby, who, were all searching their shelves and scrolls for strategies.

"Anymore plans?" I asked, feeling hopeless. Annabeth shook her head. Malcolm did the same. Shelby didn't look up. She kept searching. I sighed. "I'll help you."

"Tori, we checked EVERYWHERE! Even our secret underground library…" Malcolm argued.

"Not so secret anymore…" I muttered.

"The point is, we don't have anything."

"…or do we…" Shelby smiled.

"Shelby…" I started, "What do you have in that ultra mind of yours?..."

"Follow me!" She beckoned us towards a small, elevated shelf. She slid under the large opening on the bottom, and did something that I couldn't see. Suddenly, a whole staircase slowly spiraled up, raising the shelf to the ceiling. Shelby ran up the stairs when they stopped moving.

"Well? You coming or not?"

Our walk through the underground library was a daze. Fifty foot shelves rose up to the ceiling, and the rows went on as far as the eye could see. Torches with Greek fire were hooked to the walls, washing the shelves and rolling ladders with a green light.

Shelby counted the sections carefully. She shook her head, and ran down to the end of the hall.

At the end, there were double bronze doors, bolted shut. Shelby placed her hand on the door.

"Shelby, this door was sealed ever since the Civil War, so it won't just…" Malcolm stuttered towards the end as the doors crunched open.

"You were saying?"

"Uhhh… how?" Annabeth asked.

"Found it a week after I came to camp, all I had to do was think really hard, asking the door to open." Shelby explained "I'm not quite sure."

"Ok, continue."

These halls were darker, so I took a small scrap of wood out of my pocket. I willed the heat around it, heating the area around my hand. It didn't bother me, but the wood burst into flames.

"Light equals heat, heat plus wood equals fire." I explained. My little trick. With some luck, I wouldn't burn down the whole underground library.

"Nice trick." Annabeth commented, mildly impressed. Shelby led us on.

Shelby traced her finger along the unpolished wood shelves. Her stormy grey eyes analyzed every bronze plate, bolted to the shelves, showing the section.

Then she stopped. She pulled out a old, brown scroll, which was charred around the edges, like it had been partially scorched in a fire. I held my breath, hoping I wouldn't burn it more.

We sprinted back out of the secret library under the Athena cabin, the stone staircase closing up after we left.

I extinguished the flames in my hand, but not after nearly burning down one of the Smart Boards. Who knew those were flammable? Now I do…. Thank the gods Percy was nearby.

We unrolled the scroll delicately, just to be sure it wouldn't tear. It was so fragile and brittle, it was like I was holding a piece of dry pine needle, and this was no different. One flame, and our only plan would be destroyed.

We examined the scroll, then we all grinned.

"Guys, I swear, if I come back and I've succeeded, I will make you all millionaires…" I promised, my grin so wide I thought my face would break apart.

"I'm holding you to that promise…" Shelby warned. I nodded. I folded the paper and put it in my pocket(No not the pocket where I had the dry wood…). I thanked them many more times and dashed out the door. It was almost time for us to begin the quest.

Shawn's (Gasp!) POV

I woke up, my face pressed against the cold, marble floor. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know who _I_ was. I couldn't remember anything. Was I captured? Amnesia? Dead? Who knows? I sure don't!

It was at least 100 degrees in here, wherever _here_ was. People were talking in a very serious matter. Except for the voices, I didn't think there was anyone else in the room but me. I opened one eye. I saw flames in the distance, exploding out of cracks in the charred ground. Black trees, poplars, sprouted from the ground.

I opened my other eye. All talking ceased. I sat up, feeling seriously dizzy. I looked down at my body, and I nearly passed out again. I was transparent. Well, that settles it. I must be dead.

"Where, where am I?" I asked. I looked up, seeing three older guys, sitting in black robes, high behind a long wooden desk. The wood depicted scenes of death, skulls, and blood. It was so horrible, I looked away. When I did, I saw several hundred, maybe thousands, of spirits, gathered around the black pillars of the hall.

"Don't you remember?" asked one of the men.

"I-I don't remember anything." I started to worry. I couldn't recall anything.

Nervous whispering began amongst the three men. The continued like this for several more seconds, then minutes. I only caught fragments of their conversation.

"Do you really think?..."

"Most indefinitely…"

"There is no other explanation…"

"…tell him?"

"No, just send him to Elysium…"

They stopped whispering. The three men redirected their attention to me.

"You… have lost your memory. For now, we will send you to Elysium-"

"Where?" I asked.

"… it's a nice place…" the man on the far left said with envy. I was still super confused. But by then, I was already fading away. Their voices, the scenery, and even the smell of smoke, began to fade as well. Soon I felt nothing. Total darkness had swallowed me.

I woke up on a large, king sized bed. I sat up and shook the drowsiness away and I looked around. Blue and green walls, and, unless I was hallucinating, were moving, like the sea. A fish tank was inside the wall, and no regular fish were in there. Sharks, Hippocampus, I think, and many other colorful, definitely not human fish swam around. I was able to hear the waves, rolling onto a nearby shore. And some weird light affect made the floor look like it was underwater, when the sun shines through the surface of the water and reflects on the sand. There was no way I was in the same place as before, in the black, dreary hall. But it didn't feel like this place was different. This place just had a cheerier feel to it.

I got out of bed and I walked over to the side wall. Photos and notes were pinned onto the large cork board with pushpins. All of them were a shade of blue or green. Apparently this place liked the ocean, or maybe I did, before I lost my memory.

Many pictures showed what looked like family, or maybe close friends. But that wasn't the weird part. the weird part was the background. Greek buildings dotted the valley. Some people, all wearing orange t-shirts, chased others with STORMS, or BOWS AND ARROWS, and SWORDS. That wasn't normal.

What I also noticed, was that many of the photos included certain people. One of the people had short, curly bleach blonde hair. His blue eyes reminded him of the sky.

Another guy, who was next to the boy with the curly blonde hair, had jet black hair, and sea green eyes. He had a deep tan, and his arms were around an athletic looking girl, tan, with honey blonde hair. Her eyes were a stormy grey, analyzing everything.

Another girl in the photo was next to the two with their arms around each other. The girl had brown hair a little past her shoulders, brown eyes, and instead of orange t-shirts like the rest, she wore designer clothing. She wore lots and LOTS of makeup. She looked like one of those girls that modeled for the fashion magazines that you see in departments stores that your mom would drag you into for some door-buster sale.

But who really caught my eye was a different girl, who had one arm around designer girl's shoulders and another around a boy with brown hair and sea green eyes, like the other boy. I looked into a near by mirror, and saw I_ was_ that boy with the brown hair and green eyes. Anyways, she was pretty, I guess. She wore the simple orange t-shirt, that said 'Camp Half-Blood', with a flying horse on it. She wore sweatpants, and her messy, bushy brown hair was in a messy ponytail, off to one side. She wore no make-up, but she didn't need any. Her caramel hair and her brown eyes made her look perfect. I felt a small glow. I didn't remember her, but somehow it sparked something deep down. I didn't know. Was she alive?

But even if she was, why would it matter, if I must have been dead?

**HK: Amnesia! **

**TT:YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THIS WOULD HAPPEN!**

**TV: what would be the fun of that?**

**RW: Who caused the amnesia of the fallen hero, what is this mysterious plan of Tori's, and what about Tia and Zack? Will they survive their quest without tearing each other apart? Stay tuned and review to find out!**


	6. Percy Wears ONLY Boxers to Bed?

**TT: Tori made me sound like a barbie doll in the last chapter, so she can't say anything for this one! MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!  
Disclaimer: Sooo...yeah...  
**  
Tori's POV  
I was sitting in my cabin, playing a board game with Tia. I was trying to get her mind off of the you-know-what inncident. We were playing her favorite game, Scrabble. I tried to get her to stop making curse words.  
"Tia, take that T away!" I yelled.  
"BUT IT EXPLAINS WHAT ZACK IS!" she screamed back.  
"No!" I tackled her. She pinned me down. I saw that coming.  
But she got off of me when she heard a knock at the wooden door. I sat up, stretched, and turned the knob.  
I gasped. "Zack?"  
He nodded in agreement as his blonde surfer-dude curls bobbed up and down.  
He sighed. "Listen, I have to ask you something about-"  
He suddenly stopped when he saw Tia in the backround. Something isn't right about this...  
I was about to reply but behind Zack, there was a sorta-muscular guy, tan, deep brown eyes like Tia's, and a dirty blonde Justin Bieber hair style. "Who's this?"  
The boy smiled charmingly. "I'm Tyler. New here."  
"Son of...?" I waited for an answer.

"Ares"

"Oh. I'm Tori"  
"Cool name. Is it short for-" he stopped when he saw Tia. He nudged me and Zack out of the way to get in front of her.  
"Hey" he looked her up and down and smiled. "Who's her?"  
"Teehee!" she did her little flirty thing. Oh gods.  
"This is Tia. Short for Christina" I smirked. When she heard me say the C word, her charming smile turned into a glare at me.  
She shook the glare off. "Nice to meet you"  
"Yeah, right back at'cha" he winked at her and she smiled.  
While they were talking, Zack was about to explode. You could practicly see the smoke coming out of his ears. His eyes filled with a rage of jealousy and anger. His face was beet red.  
"Zack, you okay?" I put my hand on his forehead.  
"Yeah I-I'm fine." I could tell he was holding in a scream.  
I FINALLY got Tyler out of the cabin after about fifteen minutes. I turned to Tia.  
"...What?" she said innocently. I glared.

"WHAT?"

"Oh nothing" I walked around, waiting for her to turn her brain on.  
"What? He's cute. I'm an Aphrodite. What do you expect? Don't get mad! I'm still going on the quest! WILL YOU QUIT INTERROGATING ME?" she rambled on and I didn't need to say a word.  
"TIA CALM DOWN! I'M NOT MAD!" I slapped her arm.  
"Hey!" she snapped. "And by the way, I'm goin' on a date with him at 6"  
"Cool." I nodded. Then we continued our game.

Zack's POV

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

WHAT? HOW? WHY? WHAAAT?

How. could. this. happen?

He was the NEW guy! ONLY _FIVE MINUTES! _And I was standing .

Okay, I have to calm down. It probably won't last two dates! Hehe…hopefully…

Then one song popped into my head, _Your Guardian Angel_…me and Tia's song..

I shook the song out of my brain. It's all over, I thought to myself.

Tori's POV

Me and Tia ran to get Zack, Nico, and Percy.

"Can we bring Tyler?" she blurted while walking through a strawberry patch.

I stared at her for a moment. Then finally made out: "Not a chance,"

"What? Why not?" she whined.

"Because! he just got to camp! he's never been on a quest in his life and I'm not gonna let him ruin this for me!"

"Okay, geez" she raised her hands as if surrendering. "He won't go,"

But she looked down at the crispy green grass, faking disappointment. She held out her bottom lip.

"Okay fine!" I blurted then sighed. She made a happy face. Stupid Aphrodite powers.

"Yay!" she hugged me, nearly squeezing the eyeballs out of my head.

"But only because he's strong!" she let go of me and I took a few big breaths.

"Right," she agreed happily and continued walking with me.

We walked up to the Poseidon cabin to pick up Percy.

"HI!" Tyson cheered when he answered the door. He LOVED us.

"Hey Tyson!" I smiled. "Is Percy ready?"

"Ummm…." he put a confused look on his face.

"Oh gods," Tia groaned and made her way through the door and up to Percy's bunk. "PERCY GET THE HADES OUT OF BED!"

"Gaaah!" he fell out of the bed. He wasn't ready yet. I was about ready to snap.

"GET READY, NOW!" I yelled. He swiped the dust off of his pajama pants. Or should I say…boxers.

"Ew! Cover yourself up!" Tia yelled while cringing at the sight. But I saw her blush behind her hands.

"Oh right!" He got his blanket and covered himself. But I told him to raise the sheet higher because he wasn't wearing a shirt, either.

"Oh come on! It's not that bad!" he complained while flexing, just to annoy us.

Tia was secretly blushing. I nudged her.

"Yeah… GET READY!" she pushed him towards the bathroom and threw his packed up bag in there too.

After about five minutes, he came out, fully ready.

Tori was already waiting at the crest of Half-Blood hill. She was tapping her foot impatiently as we climbed.

"Where were you? You were supposed to be here, like, ten minutes ago!" She scolded. Tia and I pointed at Percy as we walked past her and down the hill, towards the camp's strawberry van.

Tyler's POV

I climbed the hill up towards the big pine tree at the top of the hill. I didn't see what the big deal was with that tree. Everyone at camp loved it. I mean, a girl turned into a tree when fighting a few monsters. She died. So what? She was weak! I could've whipped those monster's butts in fifteen seconds flat!

Anyways, when I climbed to the top of the hill, Tori was scolding Percy. Something about being late. I began to walk past her, and I heard bits of their argument.

"Percy, you gotta set an alarm clock or something!"

"I was tired!"

"Who gives a crap? Name your choice, Shawn or your beauty sleep!" I laughed mentally at that. I imagined the 'all powerful' hero of Olympus sleeping in a pink room filled with incense and those things you put over your eyes when your sleeping. That was a funny thought.

When I walked past, I whispered in her ear, "Can't wait to save your _boyfriend?"_ I teased. She spun around and punched me.

"Ow!" I yelped, holding my eye. That was gonna be black in the mornin'.

"Don't mess with me!" She muttered, warning me of the worse things that daughter of Apollo could do. I could already imagine a flaming arrow sprouting from my forehead. A chill ran down my back. Note to self: _Stay away from children of Apollo, 'cause they're cute and cuddly on the outside, but devils on the inside._

_ "_Move it!" Tori commanded us. I walked down the hill, muttering about how annoying she was.

Tori's POV

I watched as the two boys walked down the hill towards the Delphi strawberry service van. I turned and saw the prince of the dead, the ghost king, slowly making his way up the hill. I glared at him, and he glared back at me, the famous Hades death glare! I ran down the hill, threw him over my shoulder, and ran back up.

"Hey! LEMME GO!" he kept struggling, but I made it to the top.

"Never keep me waiting again Nico!"

"You sound like Persephone!"

"Have a nice trip!"

"Woah wait what?- AHHHH!"

I tossed him down the hill, and he went rolling down the hill towards the van.

I bounded down the hill, shouldering my duffel bag, and in my pocket, was the ultimate plan to raising Shawn. Thanks Shelby!

We were so gonna rock this quest!

**HK: Hey BARBIE APHRODITE GIRL!**

**TT: SHUT UPPPPPP!**

**ALL: REVIEW OR DIE AT THE HANDS OF TYLER THE STUPID!**


	7. I'm Nuts For You

**HK: Imma kill Tia.**

**TT: So?  
TV: Aw crap I see what's coming…**

**TT: Huh?**

**RW: Idiot. You're gonna be so mad.**

**Disclaimer: =(**

Tori's POV

Argus was driving us along, and I swear, he is the worst driver in the world. How in HADES did he get a freaking _drivers license? _

Everyone was screaming and holding on to something. He swerved, and I'm highly sure that a van isn't supposed to do a wheelie. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed. The van finally righted itself. I was so happy when he stopped, dropping us off at the Empire State Building.

We all scrambled out, grabbing out weapons and bags. Argus swerved away, leaving many bystanders pointing, screaming, and cursing.

Needless to say, we got the heck out! We didn't need people to stare at us, saying, "Hey, look who that psycho 100 eyed driver was driving!"

We ran up 5th Avenue as fast as we could with our bags shouldered. We ran until we reached the Mid-Manhattan Library. We stopped, and sat down on a bench. I looked at the others "There is no way we are going to run all the way to Central Park."

"Hail a taxi!" Zack suggested. Tia nodded. She slumped to the corner and tried to wave down a taxi. No one came. Tyler came and walked past Tia. He stood in the middle of the street, then faced a taxi. I saw the taxi man's panicked. He slammed on the breaks and skidded to a stop, right in front of Tyler.

"Oh my gods, Tyler…" Tia murmured, awed. He flashed a smile at her.

"Anytime babe."

Zack was practically fuming when he stepped in the taxi. Percy sat next to him, and I did too.

"I am going to KILL Tyler…" he whispered to both of us.

"Why?" Percy asked, "So what if he can hail a taxi in an impressive way."

"Percy you dimwit! He still _looooves_ her!" I quoted Maximum Ride. "He loves her _this much_!" I held out my arms as wide as possible in the cramped space.

Zack said nothing. He sighed, "Ok you have a point!" He admitted quietly. "Apollo's Aphrodite…"

I punched his arm, hard.

"Ow! What the Hades was that for?"

I glared, "I'm no Aphrodite."

"Geez you're violent. Apollo's Ares…" Percy muttered.

I punched him as well.

"Fine!" The both yelled. I smirked.

We stopped at Central Park several minutes later. I've been here several times with my family. And if there is one think I love here, it's their NUTS.

I caught a whiff of the honey and sugar cover nuts, and my mouth watered. "Nuts….." I murmured. Everyone looked at me like I was insane. I followed the delicious scent of my favorite food in the world. And, its only available in NYC's Central Park.

"Tori!" The chased me as I ran.

"HURRY UP!" I love my nuts!

"What are you talking about?"

"Nuts!"

"You're nuts!" Tia called. But Percy realized what I was talking about.

"NUTS! She's right!" He realized.

I stopped at the sidewalk stand with the sign saying, _Nuts 4 Nuts._ Percy and I whipped out our cash and paid for seven bags of nuts.

"Who's the seventh for?" I looked at him, and he understood. Before the others came, I stuffed the last bag of nuts in my hand.

Zack, Tyler, Tia and Nico finally caught up to us. They saw the seven bags in our hands.

"I want nuts too…" Nico muttered. I handed him a bag. He reached in the small pouch and took out a hard cluster of nuts. He looked at it cautiously as Percy handed out the rest of the nuts. Then we all stared at him.

"Why are you all staring at me?" He asked, looking at all of us, staring at him.

"We wanna see if Emo Boy feels happiness after eating these nuts!" I replied.

"And I wanna see if emo boy doesn't die from nut poisoning." Tyler snickered. Nico glared, and he shrunk away. Zack smirked at that.

Nico finally plopped the nut cluster in his mouth. His expression stayed the same. Then his eyes bulged. His usually expressionless face broke into a grin.

"Oh my gods!" He cried, shoving more nuts in his mouth. The others shrugged and tried the nuts. Their reactions were the same.

"Told you!" Percy and I gloated. They shrugged again.

"Shut up you're ruining the moment!" Tia cried.

We made our way to the door of Orpheus, chewing on our favorite snacks. After those sweet nuts, I swear, I could taste the even sweeter taste of victory. And my thoughts would have made Aphrodite beg.

And did she ever. I looked back and saw Tia and Tyler, hanging behind us. Tyler leaned in, and kissed Tia, on the lips. They stayed there for a few seconds. Then they pulled back, happier than ever. But things only got worse.

Because Zack turned, and saw them kissing.

Aw Styx!

Shawn's POV

Elysium was nice, I guess. I met a few famous Greek people… who I didn't know even lived. Even a few demigods who died. They told me everything, about the gods still roaming the earth.

So I know I'm a demigod son of Poseidon. I know about the war. I knew the demigods lived in Camp Half-Blood. But I still know nothing about my regular life. Who were those people in the picture?

I decided to visit a place Perseus suggested. The Hall of Past Lives. A newer addition to Elysium.

I walked into the hall, surrounded by TV screens, showing people's lives. I walked up to one.

I didn't know why I chose that particular TV, but it seemed right. I stepped in front of it, and the pictures changed.

First I saw me, walking up a hill towards a large pine tree. A wave of nausea rolled over me. I felt what the TV was showing me. It was like I was reliving my life.

I got closer to the pine tree, and a girl, the Barbie doll, except a much younger version of her, called down behind the hill. I got to the pine tree, and collapsed onto my knees. The real me did too.

"Help…" I muttered on screen.

"Oh gods are you ok?" A girl asked. "Ambrosia and Nectar guys! Now!"

I looked up to see the girl, and I would've jumped back if I hadn't felt so tired. It was the girl from the photo. Younger, but still the same face.

"Huh?..."

"It'll heal you. Rest for now." The screen faded to black, and then it came back into focus in a large room with cots, like a hospital. I was lying down in one, and the girl was sitting next to me, wrapping my leg in a bandage. I looked at the wound, and it was bad. I saw she was closing her eyes while doing it. I guess she couldn't bear to look at it ether. I'm not going to describe it…

"You're awake." She said, without opening her eyes.

"Yoho huh…"

"Who are you?" She asked, still wrapping, eyes closed.

"Shawn."

"Oh. I'm Tori, daughter of Apollo." She greeted. Daughter of Apollo….

"Healing dude. Archer."

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Cool. I'm an archer."

"A son of Poseidon? An archer?" She giggled. "That's a first!"

` "What?"

"Oh, your dad claimed you last night." She explained without an explanation.

"Uhhh…"

"Oh, sorry! Getting ahead of myself. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Where?"

"Uh… maybe I should shut up…"

"Yes, you should."

The screen faded to black again, and refocused on a new scene.

The boy with shaggy black hair and sea green eyes was at the Archery targets with me, Barbie girl, and Tori.

We all raised our bows. Tori released, hitting the bulls-eye. Barbie released, doing the same. Black shaggy haired boy released, hitting another girl like Barbie behind a mile away. She glared at him, but didn't appear that hurt. I released, hitting the bulls-eye. Heads spun to my direction. Everyone gasped.

"THE SON OF POSEIDON HIT THE BULLS-EYE ON THE FIRST SHOT!" Everyone cheered.

Another fade to black! It refocused on another scene, where Tori and I were on the dock. We were just talking.

"So, how are you liking camp?"

"Pretty good…"

"Miss home?"

"Yeah, kinda. Do you miss your home?" I knew immediately that was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes teared up, and she looked so sad. "Hey, are you ok?"

"Y-yeah…. it's jug-just my mom….. d-die-died… in a fire…." She began…

"You don't have to tell me." I insisted, anything to keep her from tears. She wasn't normally like this.

"N-no, I have to tell you… S-she died in a fire t-that I c-cause-caused…" She burst into tears. She put her head on my shoulder. I pulled her close. I blushed, 'cause this was awkward. I barely knew her, but she was one of my best friends here.

Black then refocus.

Barbie was carrying me with a crowd of other Barbies. Tori was next to me.

"TIA!" She shrieked. The Barbie looked up at her.

"Sorry love bugs!"

"WHAT?" Both of us screamed. Tia giggled and her crowd threw us into the canoe lake. The screen faded to black, never to refocus.

I stared at the blank screen, awed.

And I knew one thing for sure.

I must have been dreaming.

**HK: Well Tia, how ya like me now?**

**TT: *Growls***

**HK: Did you really want me to update?**

**TT:*Growls***

**Everyone: REVIEW!**


	8. Zack Finally Snaps! Again

**TT: Zack is sooooo gonna explode.  
HK: 0_o  
Disclaimer: This really sucks!**

Tia's POV

Tori was staring at me warningly. What was her problem?  
"Tyler, you just kissed me!" I whispered happily. Wow, that was a blonde thing to say.  
Tyler chuckled, "Yeah, I know," he winked and leaned in again.  
"STOOOOPP!" someone yelled right before Tyler could kiss me again.

It was Zack...

The group of demigods stopped in their path and stared.  
"Zack, what are you doing?" I glared at him seriously. He ignored me.  
"Don't...touch...her." He said while gritting his teeth.  
"Excuse me?" Tyler stepped toward Zack.  
"You heard me,"  
Tyler clenched his fists. "And what are you gonna do about it? She's MY girlfriend now."  
"Girlfriend?" I asked with a grin.  
"Yeah. Girlfriend," he put his arm around me.  
"I said don't touch her!" Zack ran up and pushed Tyler. He stumbled back, making me stumble back, too. That made Tyler let go of me.  
"Hey watch it, buddy," Tyler went in to punch him in the face, but I grabbed his arm before he could.  
Tyler sighed. "Look, I don't want any touble..."  
"I do!" Zack punched Tyler, making his nose bleed a little.  
"ZACK!" I gasped and separated the two. I glared at Zack. "Don't. Touch. Him."  
"Get out of the way, Barbie!" Zack pushed me to the side roughly.  
I stumbled back and nearly fell but Tyler caught me and fire flamed in his dark eyes. He smacked his fist against Zack's face and Zack made out a little cry.  
I walked up to him, whispered really closely in his ear, "Don't mess with an Aphrodite girl," and kicked him in the spot that NO MAN would want to be kicked.  
Zack screamed and fell onto his knees. I smirked and kissed Tyler again.

The group, stared with wide eyes and their jaws dropped. Tyler had his arm around me as we walked with them. Zack was attempting to walk behind us. It was so hilarious.

Shawn's POV

The memories were pretty weird. Maybe it's because I didn't remember any of it.  
I sat in the room, carefully looking at the scenes of my past. One was that I was walking with the guy with the blonde curly hair, carrying a Nerf gun. We sneaked into a cabin and started aimlessly shooting it, but mostly hitting the kid with the jet black hair and sea green eyes. Then he locked us in the closet.  
"Percy! Let us out! Were gonna be late for our dates!" Blonde dude shouted and pounded on the door. Okay, Percy. Got it.  
After that memory was a memory of me, blonde curly hair dude, Barbie Doll, and the pretty girl were sitting in a cabin, talking and laughing. I had my arm around the pretty girl and blonde dude had his around the barbie. Then they started...kissing? Ew. All of a sudden, I found myself kissing the pretty girl too. Whoa WHAT?  
Then I realized: We were on a double date.  
Does that mean I'm dating the pretty girl? Sweet! So, Tori. I'm going out with Tori.  
I continued to listen to the memory.  
"Zack! Not in front of us! That's discusting." Tori laughed and I was guessing that she was referring to 'Zack' kissing Barbie.  
"Oh yeah! And it's not gross when you two kiss? Blech!" Zack teased and Tori smirked.  
"Well Shawn doesn't run his fingers through my hair,"  
"That's not weird, it's awesome," Barbie giggled.  
"Shut up, Tia," I said with a serious face then into a laugh.  
Tia? Okay then. So Shawn plus Tori and Zack plus Tia. Got it. But who are those other people?  
After A LOOOOTTT of more memories, I saw one that turned me cold inside and out. We were in a submarine, and I was struggling with the controls.  
"Radar, now!" Tori shouted and I checked it. Alarms started blasting and red lights flash. Then all of the sudden, I saw everyone getting in and fighting this guy...it kinda looked like Percy, but taller.

Oh gods...  
I saw the dude cut me, and fight me, knock the wind out of me...  
In the room, I was getting thrown around and hurt.  
In the memory, I saw a bunch of people gathering around me and Tia and Tori were crying while Zack held Tia and she held Tori. Must've been my death? That's horrible! I feel bad for myself!  
Then all of a sudden, The screen went a little fuzzy and showed Percy, Zack, Tia, Tori, another kid that looked kinda emo, and a muscular guy with his arm around Tia trudging up Half Blood Hill. Wait, that's not right. What happened to Zack? I thought... Nevermind.  
"Guys! HURRY THE HADES UP!" Tori was snapping her fingers and guesturing them to get into the camp van. "TYLER! STOP TALKING TO TIA, LOVEBIRD!"  
Tyler was his name, I'm guessing.  
"ZACK CAN YOU STOP ACTING ALL SAD? GET OVER IT!" Tori pushed him into the van.  
"You're mean today..."  
Tyler went up to Tori and said "Can't wait to save your boyfriend?" she punched him.

Wait, WHAT?

She's coming to save me? How? How is that possible? I'm dead!  
She can't, she might get seriously hurt...

Tori's POV

We walked through the streets of New York. When we reached Time Square, I had to catch my breath. So much comotion! But so much lights and big screens...it was almost beautiful.  
We pushed our way through the huge crowd of New Yorkers.  
I grunted, "Ugh, so we have to hail another taxi?"  
"I got it!" Tyler started to make his way into the middle of the street, but I stopped him.  
"How 'bout you just sit this one out, hey buddy?"  
"I got it!" Tia's face lit up as the rest of us stared in disbelief.  
She cleared her throat, put one foot in front and ome in back, and screamed a scream that must've woken up China, because I thought I felt my eardrums explode.

"!"

The rest of us held our ears and squinted.  
But to our suprise, a yellow taxi pulled up right beside us.  
"Teehee!" her cheeks turned a cute rosey pink as she stepped in the car. The rest of us followed.  
We sat the same formation, only Tia, Tyler, and Nico were in the back and me, Percy, and Zack sat in front.  
"He. Is. A. Dead. Man." Zack clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.  
"Zack, calm down. He's just gonna kick your butt again," Percy snickered. Zack punched him.

"Ow!"

"GUYS STOP!" I shout-whispered. "We aren't gonna get anything accomplished if you people keep beating each other up!"  
They sat in silence.  
Zack was literally fuming because Tia and Tyler were whispering stuff in the back. Nico was asleep. I could only hear part of their conversation...  
"That was awesome how you screamed to hail a taxi," Tyler chuckled. "Very creative." "Thanks," Tia giggled. "Aphrodite powers,"  
"You're so cute," he played with her hair and smiled charmingly.  
"No you're so cute!"  
"You're cuter,"  
"That's not possible,"  
My eyes were bugged out and Zack was nearly ripping his seat belt out of the seat.  
I looked back and saw them kissing again.  
They let go. "You're a good kisser," Tyler was still playing with her hair.  
"You're better,"  
"No you"  
"No you!"  
I rolled my eyes. This was gonna be a _LONG_ trip.

**TT: Just to let you know...  
HK: I write tragities.  
TT: I write romance and fight scenes.  
HK: Together...  
TT&HK: We must be awesome.  
REVIEW!**


	9. So Close to Death

**HK: Well!  
RW: well?...**

**TT: Well, we're back…**

**TV: Oh…**

**Disclaimer: -_- We don't own PJO or SpongeBob quotes. **

Tia's POV

"TIA!" Tori screamed. I stepped out of the taxi when she screamed.

"What now?" I complained. She had told me to get us to the weast side of central park. "You told me to go to the weast side of… Ohhhhhh…"

"I said WEST! THERES NO SUCH THING AS WEAST!" She screamed, looking out at the large, vast central park. We were on the side opposite from the side we wanted to be on.

"Tia!" Everyone scolded. I glared at them.

"Now, don't blame Tia… she just made a mistake, and she's so cute and awesome, how is she blamable? " Tyler went and wrapped his arms around me from behind. We swayed back and forth slowly. I feel relaxed in his strong, confident arms. A slight music comes from a nearby saxophone player, playing a slow, romantic tune. For once I realize how romantic this place could be. The sun is starting to set behind some of the tallest buildings I've ever seen. The sky is orange, purple, and pink. Street lights begin to pop up along the sides of the park. Many couples were enjoying an evening stroll, or dancing next to a musician who makes a living playing on the streets. Birds flew into their nests, sings songs as well. This was heaven, and I hadn't realized 'till now.

We swayed for a few more minutes, then several people burst at once. "STOP!"

The screams didn't come from Nico, but from Zack, Percy, and Tori.

"_What?_ We were in the _middle_ of something!" I screamed, highly annoyed. Tori looked mad.

"Yeah, well maybe we are too! SHAWN IS D-E-A-D! DEAD! And you're worried about dancing with HIM?" She screamed, more angry than I'd ever heard her.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE ON YOUR MIND?" I asked angrily. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Frankly, yes! You've been dancing with him, while I'm sitting here, thinking of me dancing with Shawn right now! Maybe if we hadn't stalled so much, I could be!"

"My brother, my first human brother that wasn't a traitor to us all, is DEAD!" Percy screamed along with her, "And you can't stop thinking about the boy who's been holding us back, and the one who shouldn't even be here!"

"Hey, whoa, this is MY fault?" Tyler glared at them. I glared at them too, but mine was fuzzy. Because I knew they were right.

"Can we go now?" Nico was tapping his foot impatiently.

"NO!" everyone yelled at him. He groaned and slumped down next to the saxophone player, who was looking at us in shock.

"Hi." Nico greeted, and the player said nothing, but look at him like he was some sort of nuclear reactor.

We went back to arguing.

"Tia, I'm partially mad 'cause you keep forgetting the real mission, but I'm just furious 'cause you don't realize…. that I still love you!" Zack admitted. I saw sparks coming from his body.

"Wha-what?" I was momentarily stunned. Then I looked behind Tori, and a police was standing behind her, and she hadn't noticed.

Another thing she hadn't noticed… her hands were on fire.

"Excuse me miss… why are your HANDS on FIRE?" the police asked, mildly surprised. I guess he saw weirder things here, in NYC. Tori turned around and punched him with her flaming hands, right in the chest.

"Move it you stupid…. aw Styx!" her hands covered her mouth when she realized who she had punched.

A normal person wouldn't have been able to punch a police, who was obviously wearing a bulletproof vest. But when a p*ssed off Tori with flaming hands punched a police… he gets send into a tree. "Gah! I'm on fire! F***!" he cried. Obviously he was new to the job.

"Crap, RUN!" I cried. None of us argued about _that_.

Shawn's POV

She couldn't try to save me. I saw what was outside of the vast sea that surrounded Elysium. Fires, monsters, and Hades himself. I couldn't let her take the risk. I quickly imagined myself darting up, through the ceiling, and into the real world.

The cold air rushed through me, and the sky in central park was lit up by stars, dimmed by the lights of the city. I looked around, and saw the real, in person Tori, and the rest of the gang, running at top speed. I ran to them, and I went straight into Tori's mind, with only one thought going through mine. She can't try to save me, from something that I can't be saved from.

Tori's POV

We continued to run, still worried that the police officer I punched would recover and hunt us down. But at least this gave us motivation to get to the other side of Central Park. Maybe we wouldn't be too tired to face the Underworld.

A tingle went through my spine, and I felt something I wasn't used to. It was hard to describe the feeling, but it sent a spark through my body. I began to slow. Tia slowed with me.

"Hey, you ok?" She asked, shaking my arm. Her voice was far away. Everything, sounds, sights, and feelings alike, were blurred. "Tori!"

"Uhhh…. whaa?..." I asked, feeling dizzier than ever. I was barely aware that my legs had stopped running.

_Tori! _Said a voice that wasn't quite Tia's. This voice was coming from inside me. _Tori! Don't try to save me!_

"Tori! Are you ok?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Hello?"

Everyone's voices were blurred together. My eyesight began to fail.

_Tori! Listen to me! _The voice said. Suddenly I realized who was in my mind. It currently shook me out of stupor.

"Shawn!" I cried out loud. Many people asked "Huh?'.

_Don't come! Please! Stay safe!_

__I shook my head lightly, drifting out of conciseness.

_Please!_ Shawn begged from inside me.

_N-no…I… need…you…_

My thoughts blurred too. I could barely think. I fell to my knees.

"Tori! Get up!" Someone cried, and tried to pull me up. Soon some tried to help her. They dragged me across the dewy grass, my hair getting tangled. I looked up, and the path lights off to the side were blurry, blinding me, only giving me glimpses of mixtures of color. I must have looked pretty darn lifeless, 'cause nothing else would have freaked them out so much.

_Stay awake Tori!_

_ Sh-Shawn…._

_ Yes, now stay awake!_

_ I-I c-can't….. drifting off…. I love….. you…._

My eyesight went black, and two voices screamed in unison.

"_TORI!"_

Tia's POV (Again)

We dragged Tori's seemingly lifeless form along. Tears welled in my eyes. I got nervous when she went into stupor. I was scared when she wouldn't respond. I got REALLY scared when she fell to her knees, shaking like crazy. Her skin was colder than ice. Now we were dragging her along, and I could barely tell if she was alive.

"Nico! Is she d-d… alive?" I couldn't bring myself to say _dead_.

He looked at her carefully. If her heart was beating, I couldn't feel her pulse. If she was breathing, she didn't show any sign of it. If she was alive, only a son of Hades could tell.

"Hard to say…" He admitted.

"WHAT?" I cried.

"I didn't say no! She has a lot of spirit in her… more than usual… oh…" He noticed something, and his expression returned to his usual, bored one.

"Oh?..." Zack questioned.

"Shawn's in her mind." He realized, saying it in a bored tone.

"WHAT?" all of us screamed.

"Will she live?" Percy asked, hovering over her.

"Hard to predict. That my life in her could kill her from overload. She's most probably dead." He said, still bored.

"WHAT?" we all screamed again.

"No…. no, no, NO!" I cried. "She CAN'T die! SHE JUST CAN'T!"

"She can…" Nico whispered. I glared at him, and he glared back. I looked away and stared at her life-less body. just seeing her sprawled on the grass was enough to dampen my spirits.

And if Tori died, she wouldn't want me to save her. That's what worried me.

Her life-less eyes had already lost their glow. I knew she couldn't hold on forever. I didn't even know if she was alive.

I refused to stop believing.

But everyone else looked teary. Percy looked at her with sorrow, and a few words escaped his lips, "At least her and Shawn will be happy…"

I couldn't believe what he said. "You think she's d-de-dead?" I stammered. He didn't answer, or even show any sign of hearing me.

"What else can we believe?" Zack sighed, giving up.

"I don't think she'll make it either…" Nico admitted, but didn't feel sad. That really dampened my spirits. The son of Hades saying she won't live to see another day.

"I go with whatever Tia believes! And if she dies, I'll lead the quest." Tyler somewhat cheered. We all looked at him in disbelief.

"You want her to die, don't you?" Percy growled. I looked at Percy in disbelief. The boy who was usually leader, usually caring, was growling at Tyler.

"Well, I couldn't care less. I just met her. Plus, her leadership and kindness skill could use a bit of work."

"Tyler! You don't care that my best friend is dying before us! You only want to take her place!" I cried.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I gotta step up and be strong." He comforted me like it was nothing.

"Don't you 'sweetie' me! You aren't stepping up and being strong! You're pushing her down and being a selfish jerk! You're worse than Zack!"

"What?" Tyler growled. He didn't like being pushed away.

"You heard me! We're done!" I pushed him backwards, into a puddle. He fell on his unworthy $$ and stood back up, face red and angry.

"Fine! You go try to save the hopeless little twerp, and I'll leave! I'll step out of your way! Good luck surviving with out me!" He stomped off into the darkness, leaving us alone. After he was gone, I let my tears flow.

Zack put his arms around me and I yanked them away, "Leave me alone!" He stood up, looking sad and disappointed. I felt bad. "Fine,"

He smiled and put his arms around me. I relaxed a bit, but the tears kept coming.

"Tori…"

**HK: Poor me! TRAGITY! sorry =3**

**TT: U made me look like a jerk -_-**

**TV: Okay…**

**RW: Well, that was tragic…**

**HK: =3 REVIEW!**


	10. Were Too Late

**HK: Last chapter was my FAV of all time. So tragic! =3  
TT: I know...*sniffle* I'm so proud!  
Disclaimer: Rick just won't take my bribes...  
**  
Tia's POV

This just wasn't my day.

Correction: this just wasn't Tori's day.

I was kneeling next to her lifeless body, skin ice cold, Zack still holding me. Tears streamed down my face.

"Maybe it's not too late," I sniffled hopefully.

"I don't think there's any way," Zack replied, giving up.

I sat up and glared at him. "What? You're just...giving up?"

"Well what can we do, Tia? She's gone,"

"NO! NO SHE'S NOT GONE!" I snapped, my face red. "We can't give up on her!"

"TIA! THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO!" Zack gripped my shoulders tightly, trying to get me to see it his way.

"YES THERE IS!" I broke free from his grip and sighed. "Because...did she give up on Shawn?"

That got him. I got his full attention, and it seemed like a spark lit up inside him.

"There was a way to save Shawn...that means there's a way to save Tori. Don't lose hope," my eyes sparkled with tears. "Please,"

"Actually, there is one way," Nico pondered for a moment.

"What?" I lifted my head up and my eyes lit up, turning a pinkish color.

"Well actually two ways," Nico scratched his chin. "We could continue on the quest, go to Hades and get Shawn AND Tori,"

"And the second thing?" Percy asked.

"Percy, I think you know," Nico winked at him.

Percy shifted uncomfortably. "Percy, is there something you didn't tell us?" I glared.

"Okay," he sighed. "I've been having an empathy link with Shawn,"

My jaw dropped. "How is that even possible!"

"Some freak thing, I might think that Shawn has more power in his spirit than most,"

"Yeah, but, if Shawn died, and you have an empathy link, wouldn't you die too?" this was all confusing me...

"The link started after he died"

Zack hugged me from behind, a little tighter. "That's...uh...really weird"

I smirked at him charmingly. "Ya' know, you can let go of me now." He pulled away akwardly, but when he did, I felt colder and felt like bawling. I grabbed his hands and put his arms around me again.

"I got an idea" Zack grinned and punched Percy in the face, knocking him out.

"Zack!" I smacked him.

"Tia! Now he will dream and talk to Shawn in the empathy link!"

Percy's POV

Shawn's image was blurry. He spoke very gently. But what creeped me out the most: my link put me IN Elysium.

Elysuim was amazing. It's like my favorite dream ever. Gentle waves smacked on the sand in the horizon. The air smelt like sea mist and rootbeer. But if you looked over the horizon, you would see tragities, fire, hell.

"Percy, you gotta come rescue Tori..." he whispered.

"Shawn? How did you get inside Tori?"

He sighed. "I had to protect her,"

"How did you know that she needed protection? Didn't you lose all of your memory?"

"There's this new thing in Elysium: it's a room where you find a TV...YOUR TV, and it shows you every memory from your past. Then it showed you guys coming to rescue me...I couldn't let that happen to her," tears welled up in his eyes.

I took a big breath and gulped. "Is she completely dead?"

"Not completely...yet. If you don't hurry... there will be consequences. She's starting to make her way here. Come rescue us," he pleaded.

"Dude, I'm not gonna let you guys rot underground. Not a chance," I winked and woke up.

I stared up at the others, who were waiting for an answer, "He wants us to go and rescue him and To-OWWWW!" I held my eye, realizing how I feel asleep-when I wasn't tired.

Zack snickered, Tia smacked him. Same routine. "So should we go? To rescue them?" she asked.

I nodded. "Hey, it's what we came here for."

We ran with most of our energy to the other side of the park to find the Door of Orpheus: The Entrance To The Underworld. When we finally made it, Nico just had to speak up.

"Uh, people? Yeah, we should draw our swords and weapons and stuff."

Tia looked at him as if he were crazy. "We didn't even go in,"

"Well, there might be something in there, ready to pounce and kill us,"

Little kids off to the side of us must've heard, because they ran crying to their moms.

"Wow, good job genius. You made children cry!" I scolded.

But, we all drew our weapons and made it through the entrance, our scaredness wrapping around our necks and choking us. We were so nervous, even TIA was sweating. That's a first.

Zack's POV

I stepped in front of the group. "Guys, you should wait here. Let me take a look at the place."

I went to turn around, but someone grabbed my arm and said, "At least let me come with you."

I whipped around to see Tia. "No, way too dangerous."

She knit her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No! I-I didn't mean it like that! You can handle it, just-"

"HELLO?" Percy lifted Tori a little. "DYING GIRL, HERE!"

"Okay, be careful," Tia nodded.

I nodded back and made my way through the depths of Hades, watching everyone's every move. I wasn't taking any chances.

It seems like someone was "playing" with Cerebus. So I just slipped under neath the dog, almost getting crushed by it's back paw. Then, I see a black marble door, about maybe one hundred feet high. It had a beautiful gold design on the top and bottom. I wanted to go in and see whats up, but I figured I might get thrown into Tartarus if I do. So I did a little eavesdropping.

"Yes, this is working nicely," a raspy, cold voice laughed menacingly. A voice I've heard before: Kronos. The voice sent a chill down my back.

"Good. How did you know he would make an empathy link?" another guy questioned. He sounded about my age...Dylan!

"Because, young demigod, it's happened with that sheep-man, Grover and Perseus,"

"I can't believe we got away with this!" Dylan snickered.

Kronos boomed "Not yet, boy. But we will."

"Yes sir," Dylan replied, voice getting evil. There was a silence for a while so I figured that I would go.

But as I turned around, I heard something that almost made me explode.

"Ugh, that stupid girl, thinking she could defeat me." Dylan ranted.

"Who are you speaking of?" Kronos said with his raspy voice, aggravated.

Dylan hesitated, as if he didn't want him to know. "Christina Rose, daughter of Aphrodite. And also her little friends: Victoria Rose, daughter of Apollo, Nico DiAngelo, son of Hades, Percy Jackson, who I assume u are familiar with. The people who destroyed your base, sir."

I felt like bursting in there, taking Dylan by the neck, and slamming his head on concrete. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, talks about Tia like that. But I forced myself to leave and find the others.

Percy's POV

Not like I've never been here, but Hades was my worst nightmare. It was honestly scaring me to the core. Zack ran back to the group, rushing.

"What did you find out?" Nico asked with the same bored expression.

Zack gulped and said, "Kronos and Dylan were in Hades's throne room. They know were here, who we are and why were here."

Tia's jaw dropped "So in other words, were screwed." she said.

I raised my eye brows. "We should get going. Tori is seriously fading quickly and I know where Elysium is," and I started walking through my worst nightmare. Wow, that's something I thought I'd never say.

While we were walking, many spirits came up and tried to talk to us. But they could either screech high-pitched or whisper. I felt bad that I couldn't understand them; they probably don't have many people to talk to.

Tia's POV - Hades was scaring me more than anyone. I never knew it was like this. I was constantly watching for some bloody mutant to come and attack us. Maybe a little present from Kronos or something.

But one thing changed this whole quest for me.

Many spirits came up to me. But only one caught my eye. "Hey, watch it!" I yelled at a ghost that walked through me. I had to catch my breath when I saw who the ghost was. "MARSHA!" I screamed. The group stopped and stared in disbelief.

It was my stepmother.

The ghost swung around, her long hair flowed around her waist, and I swear, I saw a tear come from her eye. She was a very pretty woman with sparkly blue eyes and fair-ish skin, with beautiful long red hair.

She whispered "Is that you, Tia?" or at least that's what it sounded like. I nodded and started to cry, my hands trying to meet hers but her hands would always go through mine.

This was my STEPMOTHER, the one who had a heart attack at the sight of a Fury. She had bad heart conditions because she smoked BAD. I haven't seen her in six years. When she finally left, I fell to my knees and sobbed. Sobbed loudly and painfully. Zack and Nico came and comforted me, but I stood up and forced myself to continue walking. I wasn't giving up on my best friends.

Meghan's POV

Camp was getting dull. Everyone was worried. I can't believe they aren't back yet. Then again, I've never been on a quest, so I have no idea what they could be going through by now.

I decided to check the chat room and see who's on.

_(MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite has logged on) _

_(ShelbyDaughterOfAthena has logged off)_

_MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite: Hey, what's up, Shelby?_

_ShelbyDaughterOfAthena: Nothing much, worried about the quest._

_MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite: No duh! Who isn't?_

_(TylerSonOfAres has logged on)_

_ShelbyDaughterOfAthena: OH MY GODS TYLER HOW ARE YOU ON A CAMP HALF-BLOOD CHATROOM?_

_TylerSonOfAres: Well, it's kind of a long story, but me and Tia broke up, Tori…like, died…and they kicked off the quest._

_MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite: Whoa…what do you mean 'Tori…like, died'?_

_TylerSonOfAres: Well Percy made an empathy link with Shawn after he died, and Shawn found out that his girlfriend is going on a life or death quest to save him so he made his spirit come up from Elysium and go into Tori's body to tell her to not go. This might've effected her spirit or something, because she faded away. Zack, Tia, Percy, and Nico are now down in Hades trying to rescue Tori and Shawn._

_ShelbyDaughterOfAthena: AND YOU DECIDE TO TELL US NOW?_

_TylerSonOfAres: Actually, I couldn't care less about her death. I just met her. And I even offered to take over the quest for them! But NOOOO….. that's being 'selfish' in the words of Tia._

_MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite: OH MY GODS, TYLER! THAT'S HORRIBLE!_

_TylerSonOfAres: But I know what'll make this all better. Hey Meghan, how 'bout I take you out for a romantic canoe ride? ;)_

_MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite: …WHAT THE HADES!_

_TylerSonOfAres: So, what do you say, sweet thang?_

_(MeghanDaughterOfAphrodite has logged off)_

THAT…was SCARY.

What a jerk!

I decided to go to the Iris cabin and contact them.

"Oh goddess, except my offering! Show me Tia, Hades!" I tossed a coin in the rainbow mist and an image appeared in it.

"TIA! TIA TIA TIA TIA TIA TIA TIA TIA TIA TIA!" I shouted. She spun around.

"Whoa, Meghan? What are you doing?" she demanded. She sounded in no mood to talk right now.

I took a big breath. "Sorry. But OH MY GODS Tyler just hit on me then asked me out!"

At that moment, her eyes filed with rage and she exploded:

"DO YOU THINK I GIVE A FREAKIN' CRAP? ME AND TYLER ARE OVER! DONE! AND RIGHT NOW I'M SAVING MY BEST FRIENDS WHO ONE OF WHICH IS _DEAD AND IN ELYSIUM!_ SO YOU THINK IT'S OKAY TO JUST MESSAGE ME WHILE I'M IN HADES JUST TO TELL ME _THAT?"_

I was about to reply back, but I saw Nico staring at me. "Why are you looking at me so weird?"

"Not you, under you. Under the message." He pointed his pale bony finger at the air below me.

I rolled my eyes. "Congrats, Nico! You discovered _air!"_

Tia's eyes welled up with tears. "T-Tori?" she said. Nico nodded.

She gasped. "W-were too l-late."

**HK: That last line took my breath away…**

**TT: Why thank you!**

**TV, RW, RR, TT, HK, Tori's soccer team, Shawn, Zack, Dylan, Kronos, Nico, Percy, Meghan, Shelby, Tyler and Tia's stepmother: REVIEW! **


	11. Whoa, What! Traitor or Spy!

**HK: *Sniffle* the last chapter was so darn amazing!**

**TT: Yeah… *Sobs* so beautiful!**

**HK:… TORI RAN INTO THE POLE DURING THE SOCCER GAME!**

**TV: SHUT UP! I SCORED ON YOU!**

**HK: YOU RAN INTO A POLE! xD**

**Disclaimer: ={(**

Tia's POV

I looked down on Tori's limp, cold as stone body. She had no pulse, and her eyes stared blankly at the stalagmites hanging above. Tears flowed from my eyes. "Tori…" I whispered, falling to my knees besides her. The Iris message moved so it could see me. Megan gasped at the sight of Tori's dead body.

"No…" I whispered, my dusty face streaked.

"We were to slow." Zack growled, kicking a rock angrily. Tori was dead.

"She's not gone… SHE'S NOT GONE!" I clutched her hand. "Please, please come back! Please!" I begged. She was my best friend, and I didn't want to lose her.

Memories flooded into my mind, a few of which I had tried desperately to forget. But apparently my mind needed something to hold onto.

_We left the Zeus Cabin, feeling happy and cheery. Shawn and Tori defiantly made a great couple. I didn't know why they hadn't gone out before! Tori was staring into space again, like she usually did after she hung out with Shawn. _

_"Oh, how my boyfriend is ever so dreamy!" I mocked her, nudging her. She glared._

_"Shut up!"_

That memory was so different from now, it was hard to remember most details. It was such a peaceful time, and yet, here we are, about a month later, at war, the couple in the memory dead, and the world secretly being taken over by an evil titan lord. Gee, this sucks.

_I stared at the water, gushing in our only safe place. Everyone was rushing, trying to find water suits and air masks. Tori was the only one not doing a thing. She was still kneeling next to Shawn's body._

_"Tori! Get up! We gotta move!" I screamed, running over to her._

_"No... Let me die. We can't pretend that we can make it. I wanna die." she muttered._

_"Tori! What are you, emo? Common!"_

_"No! Don't you understand? If I live, I'll be miserable! Shawn's dead, so let me die too!"_

_"TORI YOU ARE BEING RIDICULUS! NOW GET UP!" I grabbed her arm._

_"NO! KILL ME TIA! KILL ME! I DONT WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO DIE!" she tried to let loose of my grip. "GAH! You are strong for an Aphrodite!"_

_"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" I screamed._

Now she got her wish. I cried harder after that flashback, because it actually happened. She DID die. I wonder if she's happy now.

"Tia, remember where we are." Nico reminded me. I blinked back tears, but they came right back.

"Yeah. L-let's go." I stuttered, getting to my feet shakily. Meghan waved by as she cut the connection. I kept crying, and Zack put his arm around me. I couldn't stop though.

Percy kept carrying Tori's body. I didn't see why we would need it, but we kept her. We didn't know what was in store. And here, everything counted.

My mind had finally begun to clear. I began to remember the quest, and Tori's determination. She wasn't going to be let down. I'd bring them back.

Which reminded me, if Tori planned on bringing him back, wouldn't she have a plan? Well she didn't tell any of us if she did, or if she was just hoping she was lucky. But if she did have a plan, now we would never get it. Her plan may have died along with her.

We continued along. We walked along the River Styx. The Door of Orpheus had taken us to the Walls of Erebos. The black stone walls seemed to go on forever. The churning black water was polluted so much. I wondered how anyone dared swim in it.

"Stay away from the water. Unless you wanna become invincible at the risk of your own life." Nico warned expressionlessly. I stepped away from the water.

We walked for what seemed like forever.

I hated it.

"Are we done walking yet?" I asked for the millionth time. Nico said nothing. Zack shook his head. Percy continued to carry Tori with little strain.

"Are we there yet?" I asked again. Nico showed no sign of hearing me. Percy and Zack groaned.

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there ye-"

"NO! SHUT UP ALREADY!" Everyone screamed. I shrugged back, walking in silence for the rest of our trek.

We (Finally) came to the entrance. ghosts in hooded black cloaks stood in thee lines. One was labeled 'EZ-pass', and that line led straight to the Fields of Asphodel. This line was moving right along, but I saw the sad faces of those in that line. The other two, were obviously regular lines, labeled 'Hall of Judgment'. This line was a turtle with one leg broken.

I looked in between the two, and my heart stopped. Looks like Cerberus was much scarier in real life than in descriptions. He was wearing a spiked armor like thing which I can't explain… and his fangs showed as we approached. I looked to Nico, and he walked calmly past the dog. We followed him, and Cerberus let us pass, growling.

We approached the Hall of Judgment, and we all suddenly tensed. Nico didn't.

"Nico, remember…Kronos is…" I began. Nico shook his head.

"We'll just sneak past them." Nico insisted. We all shook our heads.

"Nuh uh."

"Kronos never has to know!" Nico said.

"I never have to know what?" a voice growled, like a knife against stone.

We spun to the side, where Kronos and the traitor, Dylan, stood. My glare was intense, but they didn't flinch.

"You." I growled at Dylan. He smiled.

"Hello Tia, it's nice to be alive. Too bad you won't be."

"Wha'd' ya mean? Of course we'll live!" Zack stepped up, drawing his sword, Lightning Strike. Percy put Tori's corpse down, drawing Riptide. Nico drew his Stygian Iron sword as well. I couldn't be left out, could I? I unsheathed my dagger.

Dylan just kept smiling. "You think you can defeat us? I'm a son of Poseidon and my lord is a titan. What are the odds that you four can beat us? One of you is already dead. Another is about to be."

I blinked. "Another?"

Dylan pointed over to the side of the Hall of Judgment. A slab of stone was there, and tied in celestial bronze was a son of Ares, who I had recently broken up with. Tyler.

"No…" I whispered. Tyler, the boy who I just met, just fell in love with, and just learned was a jerk. And here he was, chained in celestial bronze, barely conscious. A large scar was on his cheek, and blood dripped out of it. He had a dagger in his side, and I almost ran over to him, crying. Almost. His eyes were fluttering, and I saw a glimpse of his usual bonehead arrogance. _Gotta keep fighting… gotta keep fighting…_

"Tyler!" I cried. I glared intensely at Kronos and that traitor who I used to love as well. Surrounded by past lovers.

"Tia… he's evil… kill him…" He muttered, arms bound to his sides.

"Shut up." Dylan growled. Kronos stepped forward.

"So, you believe you can fight us?" Kronos' expressionless face made me angry. That b**** of a titan thought we weren't good enough. Well, we'd show him.

I, being the arrogant, headstrong daughter of Aphrodite I am, attacked the Lord of Time and my past traitorous lover.

I immediately went at Dylan. I knew his style, and it would be easy to kill him. Once and for all.

I swiped out, and he ducked, while I used the momentum from my swing to spin and kick him in the back. He went down into the dirt, but before I could impale him, He rolled, and I hit the stone. I yanked the dagger out, remorse giving me power.

I was vaguely aware of the others all fighting Kronos, but he kept stopping time around them only. We were completely unaffected, so we fought on, exchanging attacks and parries. Our weapons locked together, and I pushed against his. He did the same.

"You deserve to die!" I yelled. He didn't flinch.

"No, I don't!" He struggled. I pushed harder, and he began to move back.

"What makes you say that? YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE!" I shrieked. Dylan somehow knocked my dagger out of my hands, and Kronos stopped time entirely.

I wanted to scream, "D*** YOU KRONOS YOU F***ING B****!", but my tongue wouldn't let me. Nor would the time halt. He grabbed me by the neck, and untied Tyler, dragging us both away. Time unfroze.

I gagged as I was dragged, lacked from air.

"NO!" Zack screamed, throwing his sword and Kronos' turned back. It lodged itself in his spine. He cried out and grabbed Zack too, dragging us all. I struggled and kicked, my vision fading.

"Help…." I choked out. And did help come? You betcha.

Another hand grabbed me, and a jet of water went at Kronos. He spluttered and fell. Our savior dragged us out of harm's way.

"Go! Run! I'll meet up with you later!" the voice yelled as he charged at Kronos, a bluish aura coming from him. Blessing of Poseidon.

"What?" I screamed, getting to my feet, picking up Tyler. I caught a glimpse of sea-green eyes.

"Go!" He screamed again, fighting the Lord of Time. Then I knew, and nearly fainted.

I knew who had tried to kill us, then saved us, then risked his life to ensure us safety.

Dylan.

**TT, HK, RW, and TV: Whoa.**

**HK: Betcha didn't see that coming! ****Well…**

**Tori's Soccer team, all the narrators, Shawn, Percy, Dylan, Caitlin, and everyone else: REVIEW!**


	12. Kronos vs Everyone

**TT: That last chapter was INTENSE, man.  
HK: =3 Thank you!  
Disclaimer: Let's just say, were PJO-less, and Rick Riordan doesn't follow by the rule: "Sharing is caring." -_-**

Tia's POV  
I was choking on my own thoughts. I couldn't believe it. He was...and the, traitor...and...uhhh...  
I suddenly became dizzy. Can't pass out...not right now. I kept myself steady.  
"Tia!" Zack exclaimed, voice seeming a little strained and ran toward me. "Tia, oh my gods, are you alright?" he came and put his arm around my shoulders.  
I shook him off. "I'm fine! OUCH!" I coughed and held my neck. It was red and I had gouges on my legs. But I completely ignored it and stared at the beastly Titan that almost ruined my life for good.  
"TYLER!" I screamed and beckoned him to follow us on our way out. He did.  
But I still stared at Dylan, vigorously slashing at Kronos.  
I couldn't just leave.  
I drew my dagger and ran into the battle.  
"NO!" Dylan shrieked. "GO! RUN! GET OUTTA HERE!"  
"NO!" I echoed. "You saved my life! I'm not just gonna-AHH!" Kronos smashed his meaty hand into my rib cage and I slammed into the black stone wall with an "UMPH!"  
"Grrrrr..." Dylan growled and fell purposely back on his hand and twisted himself to the side, slashing his sword at Kronos' ankle, something like a break-dance move.  
Kronos cried out in pain and held his ankle. Dylan went in to get his face but Kronos suddenly grabbed him and picked him up.  
"Young traitor," The Titan boomed. "You won't be seen by anyone ever again. Not even your little girlfriend." Kronos gestured to me.  
He went in for the final blow, but I wasn't gonna let that happen.  
"UGHHH!" I grunted and hopped up on Kronos' back while he was holding Dylan in one hand and his ankle in the other.  
"Get off, tiny mortal!" He twisted and tried to get me off, but stubbornness is one of my specialties.  
"In your dreams, fat butt!" I remarked and stabbed downward with all my might, into his skull.  
Thick gold liquid gushed out of the back of his head. I got him.  
I got the Lord of the Titans.  
"GAH!" Kronos shrieked and staggered backward, sending me off his back, heading towards the hard stone ground.  
I thought that was the end for me, too.  
I screamed as I made my way down, realizing my friends had been standing at the doorway, staring in awe.  
Then suddenly, I felt someone break my fall.  
"Ugh..." Dylan groaned as I fell on top of him. I didn't get up, though. He got up and carried me in bridal position. With a moment's hesitation, he started to lean in.  
And he kissed me.  
A kiss so passionate, I felt as if I could never stop. I had to bite my lip after about ten seconds.  
He looked into my eyes and said, "Thanks for saving me," and smirked.

I smiled and replied, "How 'bout we GET OUTTA THIS HELLHOLE?" and I jumped out of his arms and skipped to the doorway.

Zack's POV  
She just...stabbed him? She's so amazing!  
But I didn't get to enjoy any of that after I saw the kiss.  
THE KISS.  
As Dylan walked past me, I grabbed his arm firmly. "Dude, thanks for saving us. We would've been rotting in Tartarus right now if it weren't for you." He smiled and nodded in a 'You're welcome,' but as he went to walk away, my grip went tighter. "But dude, I'd watch my back if I were you. Tia's mine. And you know that perfectly well."  
Dylan rolled his eyes. "She doesn't like you, man. Can we not discuss this now?" and he walked away. Grrrrr...

Percy's POV  
I hoisted Tori up and we all ran toward Elysium. But big footsteps blocked hearing all thoughts in my head.  
"STUPID MORTALS!" The Lord of the Titans roared, coming towards us with a figure in his hand.  
He had just come from Elysium...  
He skidded in front of our group and I focused in on the figure.  
"SHAWN!" I yelped. Kronos had gotten him from Elysium to use us for bait. Gold liquid still shed from his head.  
Shawn struggled in Kronos' hand, kicking and trying to loosen Kronos' grip. Tori's spirit held Shawn's empty hand, urging him to keep fighting. Only Shawn had a body. We were carrying Tori's.  
"Let them go." Tia demanded.  
"Oh, so the little Aphrodite steps up again." Kronos boomed.  
"I wouldn't make fun of me," she remarked. "And anyways, how's that head healing up?" and she smirked.  
Kronos snarled. "Let's see."  
He picked Tia up and slammed her into the wall. She slid down the wall, grunting. Blood dripped from her body. I couldn't bare it.  
I settled Tori's body down and huddled the group together quickly. "Okay guys, confuse him. Attack him from all around." and they nodded.  
We charged.  
Tia ran and slashed at his hip, and Dylan stabbed his foot. Kronos lifted his foot and yelped in pain as I got his other. We all got his one ankle until he finally hopped onto his other and held the injured one.  
"YOWWWW!" he yelped and dropped Shawn, dragging Tori down with them.  
"WE GOT'CHA!" I yelled and all of us caught them in a cradle position.  
Kronos had fire in his eyes and smoke coming out of his ears. "You know what; I'll get you when you can't defend yourself. Watch your back. I don't need your stupid friends." and he vanished.  
"Wh-what?" Tia stuttered. We all looked puzzled.  
"We gotta find Hades." I said, "We gotta get Tori back into her body."  
Shawn carried her body and headed for Hades' throne room.

Shawn's POV  
Luckily, he was in there. We didn't know how to come in but we just burst in.  
He looked startled. "Son?"  
"Yes." Nico said flatly.  
"You mean father?" he asked. Nico nodded reluctantly.

"Sir, we got Kronos. We got our friend back. But we need her spirit to get back into her body." I explained quickly.  
He scratched his chin, weighing our deeds. He… shook his head.

"Well, you say you 'Got Kronos'. Where is he?" Hades demanded. We all looked at each other. Tia spoke up nervously.

"He… got a dagger through the skull and ran away!" she said happily. Hades was unimpressed.

"Well, now he is roaming my realm CAUSING HAVOC! He is destroying a _millennia's _worth of work and renovation! I can feel it! Unless you can stop him, your petty little friend will never see the light of day again!" He roared. I felt a wave of anger well up inside me. But I knew, I couldn't' argue. I nodded reluctantly, and turned my back on him, walking off to stop the lord of time.

Even though I didn't remember her for real, I knew I needed to save her.

She.

Would.

LIVE.


	13. An Impossible Decision

**HK: Well, this chapter will be good...**

**TT: You always say that.**

**TV: doesn't she always?**

**RW: Ugh just read.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah... Didn't we explain that our attempt for the series didn't prevail?**

Shawn's POV

I marched out into the entrance, then I realized how much I hated, just plain HATED, Hades.

If Hades wasn't a god and I was stronger, I wouldn't have agreed to his suckish terms. Heck, believe it or not, I would have attacked mercilessly and cursed at that dude, threatening many things in such a harsh way it would put Tia to shame.

But, being the way it is, I just walked away agreeing to those stupid terms.

"SHAWN! WAIT UP!"

Tia, Zack, Dylan, Percy and Nico came out. Percy ran and hugged me.

"Thank the gods you're alive..." he sighed in relief.

"Tori isn't." I growled angrily. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"We'll get her back. Promise."

"Thanks..." I said. Tia fly tacked me.

"DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" she nearly suffocated me, and I gagged.

"No... Air..." I gasped. She let go, blushing.

"Sorry..."

I smiled weakly, recovering from her crazy hug. Zack wasn't much of a hugger, so he just simply said, "Good to have you back dude."

"So I'm guessing we're going to save Tori and stop Kronos." Nico guessed. We all nodded.

"Yeah..." I trailed off, wondering. "How exactly, are we going to stop Kronos?"

"No idea..." Tia muttered. Then we heard a moan come from behind us. We had forgotten about Tyler, whoever he was. He had dragged himself out of the throne room and all of this way.

"W-what about me?"

We all looked at each other, the back at dying boy.

"You can't take me with you. I'm gonna die man..." he groaned. Tia kneeled down next to him. Dylan and Zack groaned.

Tears filled in Tia's eyes, "We can't just leave you to die."

"G-go... I'll be dead anyways." he pushed her gently with his wounded arm. Dust and blood streaked his face and arms.

Tia let a single tear pass. She, to my surprise, kissed him on the cheek, then she walked away, whispering, "Goodbye, forever."

"Let's just go." Zack grumbled. Dylan nodded angrily. They were obviously mad about something, but now wasn't the time to ask. We walked away from Tyler, listening to his painful groans, as they faded in with the many that filled this wasteland.

We walked through the crowds of people in the Fields of Asphodel, where we walked in silence, ignoring the pleading cries of the dead. I walked far in front of the group, needing to be able to think and plan without being interrupted.

Ok, I admit, I lied. I wasn't planning.

My train of thought was strictly on Tori's path. The girl who I supposedly loved. The girl I didn't remember. The girl who was madly in love with me. The girl who died in attempt to save me. The girl who is dead and who I'm trying to save. Who was she really? That TV thing only showed me some of my life, and I didn't really know her from what I saw. She could be another traitor for all i know. I knew she had been holding my hand, but I still...

Dylan interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, you looked pretty deep in thought. What's up?"

"You killed me." I remembered.

"Hey, sorry 'bout that, bro. Had to." he shrugged. I glared.

"Yeah, right. You had to kill me."

"Yeah. You know, Kronos would have killed me if I didn't."

"So my death was less valuable."

"Not exactly. Plus, if you lived, you would have to, like, suffer."

"And dying isn't suffering?" I kept my glare on, hard.

"It is, but remember. Kronos isn't the only threat. Everyone isn't looking at the big picture, seeing how hopeless this fight is. There are more titans besides Kronos. And all of them have been freed by him, and now they're destroying the world." my glare broke, and I stared at him in disbelief.

"At this very second?"

"At this very nanosecond." Dylan said sadly. I shook my head.

"Impossible."

"Not so. Your group has been so busy saving you and Tori, that they haven't even seen the destruction above. And camp is failing. You guys are the only ones alive who have seen everything. Everyone else knows only bits and pieces. Only Annabeth knows. And if you wen back to help, Tori would never come back. So in other words, you have a choice to make right now. Once you choose, there isn't any time to go back."

"A choice?" I asked.

"Yeah. Here are your two choices: you can either continue with your quest, and save Tori while destroying Kronos, while the world falls. Or you can abandon all hopes of ever saving her again, leave Kronos to his underworld destruction, and attempt to save the world above, and millions of lives could be spared. Camp could live."

My heart stopped cold.

"How much time do I have to choose?"

"Shawn, you don't have any time. It's an impossible decision, I know, but the fate of the world rests with you. If you choose incorrectly, we'll all die."

And those were my two terrifying choices. I had no time to wait, no time to ask someone. The fate of the world would rest on my answer. The world was on my shoulders. Now I had to choose. Billions of innocent lives who don't even know me, or the one life who loved me, and whom I couldn't remember, yet couldn't live without.

**HK: ok let's end it there.**

**RW, TV, and TT: HECK NO! TOO SHORT! TOO CLIFF HANGY!**

**HK: but-**

**TT: KEEP GOING!**

**HK: -_- I glad I ate my tragic oranges this morning. Watch out girls... Beware me...**

**RW: 0_o Aw crap!**

Rylee's POV

Flames burned.

Swords clashed.

Monsters roared.

Campers screamed.

The war had begun again, and this time, we stood no chance.

The Hermes cabin was already laying in ashes, the Ares cabin was second closest to that state. The Aphrodite cabin was burning fast as well, green flames licking and dancing dangerously in the flammable, perfume filled air. And the Apollo cabin was currently in flames. I had tried my hardest to extinguish the flames with my cabin mates, but our home was done. I looked around, seeing unknown monsters devour campers, blood staining our precious safe-haven. The Golden Fleece was taken, and the tree was dying again from a newly injected poison.

We wouldn't survive this horrible fight.

I looked up to the Big House, where Kampé had landed, her bat wings outstretched. No one dared stop her as she destroyed the infamous blue farmhouse.

I made up my mind, and sprinted through the fields towards the 'immigrant' from Alcatraz.

The gale whipped my bleach blonde curls around as I climbed a side ladder to the top of the farm house. I heard her roar in that unknown language, her smashing holes in the roof. Clouds thundered above, sending sudden lightning strikes. I knew it wasn't Zeus' doing, but if not him, then who?

I was half-way to the top, when I heard someone call from below, "RYLEE! WHAT THE HADES ARE YOU DOING?"

Annabeth was staring up at me in bewilderment, "Kampé will kill you!"

I stared down at her sadly, "She's destroying our home, and if I'm going to die, I may as well make it heroic. Tori died, so I'll meet here there. She'd rather me die heroically, I know it."

"Is that all this is about?"

"NO! I just can't live this way!" I gestured to the destruction around us, "I'm going to try to make things right!" I waved at her, as if saying goodbye. Even from this height, I saw tears streaking her dusty, blood stained face.

"Good luck!" she cried.

"Bye!" I kept climbing, bow in one hand. I made it to the top, loading an arrow. I engaged in combat with Alcatraz's hidden monster.

I aimed it at Kampé's eye. It hit her nose. She glared down at me, roaring in anger. She slashed at me with her scimitar, drenched in poison. I jumped back, missing the blade by millimeters.

We fought and fought, on and on, for what seemed like a lifetime. This was a single hit game for me. One hit with that deadly sharp weapon, and I was dead. I would be ashes scattered within the dying camp. The odds were not in my favor. But the driving force of the dead kept me going. One arrow after the next, I shot. Her body was littered with arrows, but she didn't die.

I reached back to grab another arrow, but I felt air. There was nothing in the quiver. Nada.

Kampé raised her twin swords, and I thought, Well, this is it.

I braced myself, and at the last moment, I felt the swords slash my body. A searing, unimaginable pain stole my final breath away. Blood stained my torn shirt where the poisoned sword pierced me. I couldn't think straight, my eye sight blurred, ruining my final glimpse at camp. I felt myself burning, rolling down the slanted, half destroyed roof. Then I was free-falling, plummeting towards my predicted death. I heard someone, probably Annabeth, who probably watched the whole battle, scream, and the poison came into effect. I was burning, my body falling in ashes. I lost all feeling, and in a flash, everything was gone. No time for final words, gestures, regrets or thoughts.

No time for a single goodbye.

**HK: TWO DEATHS IN ONE CHAPTER! WHOOT!**

**TT: -_-**

**TV: -_-**

**RW:-_-**

**HK: I WARNED U RYLEE! REVIEW OR MEET THE SAME FATE AS RYLEE AND TYLER! (Their endings were not so tragic... I'm so disappointed. -_-)**

**Everyone: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND REVIEW! **


	14. Wait For Me

**TT&****HK: *sword fighting in slow-motion***

**RW&TV: -_- anyways, you people are gonna love this chapter... I CAN FREAKING FEEL IT! Oh, and sorry if it makes you cry... Tia and Tori cried while writing it! :D**

**Disclaimer: I've lost sight of why were even putting a disclaimer. -.-**

Shawn's POV

This whole, "Oh, you have a choice whether to destroy the world and kill everyone or not" is really harshing my mood.

While walking through the underworld, I shot nervous glances at Dylan. He was pressuring me in his mind, being my brother and all.

_You're running out of time, _he would say.

I would reply, _Would 'ya stop pressuring me? I got this._

The truth is, I don't got it.

"Guys," I blurted out loud. "We have to talk."

"And what makes you think we have time?" Tia rolled her eyes.

I shot her the most serious glare, that it must've scared her, because he shrunk down a bit.

Before saying more, Dylan nodded slightly from behind Tia, letting me know that it was time.

"I have a choice," I started. "I can either continue with the quest, and save Tori while destroying Kronos, while the world falls. Or I can abandon all hopes of ever saving her again, leave Kronos to his underworld destruction, and attempt to save the millions of lives above. They could be spared. Camp could live."

While continuing on, I saw my friends' faces turn darker and harder. When I finished, Tia stepped forward.

"But, you can't be serious," she glared, "We weren't here that long."

"The world is being destroyed by this very millisecond. We have hardly enough time to get out of here. We have to leave."

Tia punched me in the arm, _HARD_, and got up in my face.

"You're just gonna leave her here? The love of your life? The glue that holds this group together?" her voice was strict and hard, nothing could break it. I actually started to be persuaded. Could I leave her? Never _ever _see her again?

Then I realized Tia was charm speaking me.

I shook my head. "It's not gonna work. You're powers won't change my mind."

She snarled at me and went to punch me again, but Dylan pulled her back. Zack crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm leaving. You could save the world. I can't do it without you. But if you people wanna save Tori, I can't stop you." I said. Nico and Percy stepped next to me. Then Zack. Then Dylan.

Tia stayed hard a boulder at first. Then, seeing no one on her side, she started crying and helplessly went to my side. I tried to smile.

"I hope you're happy," she sniffed, "Leaving behind the girl that loves you and all."

A tear streaked down my face. That must've surprised Tia, because her face softened for a moment. Dylan hugged her tight and we started to walk towards where we came from.

Tia's POV

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry some more. I wanted to jump down into Tartarus. I wanted to take the whole Kronos army and give them hammers and send them after Shawn.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew Shawn was right. If Tori were here, she would want me to do this and leave her behind.

The thought made me sick. How could I think that? She was like my sister. My twin. My best friend.

And now she was gone forever.

Cerebus was in _heaven_, er, if that's possible. He was feasting on a dog bone two times the size of him, which compared to me, you wouldn't BELIEVE how huge it was. I was always considered a "Peanut" because most people were a little taller than me. Many souls would go right past him. We did the same and hoped for the best.

The hellhound ignored us.

While approaching the Door of Orpheus, I took my last glimpse of Hades. Tortured screams filled my ears. I would never get the sight of so much tragedies out of my head. Lava still remained in pools on the solid rock ground. My feet burned just looking at it. In the horizon, I saw Elysium, the only peaceful, good, happy part of the Underworld. I definitely couldn't see, but I knew Tori was shooting flaming arrows bulls-eye into targets like back at camp. She'd be wearing her brown hair in a messy ponytail and wearing jeans and a camouflage T-shirt; like always.

_ I'll never forget you, Tori, _I thought to myself. _Wait for me._

Zack's POV

I don't know who I was more angry at: Dylan or Shawn.

It was pretty obvious why I was mad at them.  
The whole group came out of the Door of Orpheus.

All I can say is: WOW.

It was almost impossible to believe we were only in the Underworld a few hours. All of us stared in horror at what the world has become. Buildings crashed to the ground. Fire spread throughout the city, smoke filling my lungs. I coughed, face getting dusty. In the horizon, I saw about a hundred flying chariots and arrows in the air. War has begun.

"OH MY FREAKIN' GODS!" Tia shouted, clamping her hand over her mouth. She stomped in circles... pacing?

"C-calm d-dow-down!" Shawn's voice trembled from crying. _Manly, _I thought. _Very macho, dude._

Though I can't blame him. All of us drew our weapons and started forward. We all looked about ready to cry. Tia was already crying, which made me want to cry. Dylan's face was hardened, and Nico with his bored expression. Our combat boots were nearly destroyed.

I looked down while walking, staring at the dead grass, unlike Tia who was bravely sticking her head up high and walking fast.

"I'm gonna some Titan-" she stopped her sentence when she saw a little kid sitting on a burned out bench. "-butt."

I smiled at that for a moment, then my expression turned grim as we approached the battle.

I beastly giant came hovering over us.

A dreadful thought filled my head: there was no way we could save the world now.

**Everyone: AMAZING!**

**TT AND HK: WE KNOW!**

**Tv: *sniffle* p-please...-re-review...**


	15. What If She's Here With Us Now?

**TT: We are back?**

**TV: Obviously…**

**TT: 0_o**

**HK: Sorry if it's short or anything but I'm FREEZING AND MY HANDS ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY!**

**Disclaimer: Ugh, why do we bother?**

Shawn's POV

My choice sucked.

This, THIS, was going to be impossible to save. We've already lost. The world was already destroyed.

The giant that hovered over us was just a clue of that.

"Demigods. Good eating!" He mused, lifting his tree trunk club high. We all dove to a side and the tree trunk crashed where we were seconds before. Everyone took out their weapons. I took out my sword. But I didn't get into a fighting stance.

"Shawn! Are you there?" Percy yelled. I looked down at the stirring dust below me. I didn't move.

"Hello? Are you even awake?" Tia yelled at me, shooting an arrow at the giant's face.

No answer from me.

The giant's club was falling again. It was falling on me.

Then, a force knocked the wind out of me. I was knocked to the ground. Dylan had fly tacked me, and we were both shot from under the club, which had just landed behind me. "Don't just stand there next time!" He told me. I just turned over, staring at the red, ash-filled sky. I groaned angrily.

"Shawn, are you ok?" Dylan asked.

"No."

"What is it?"

"What do you think?"

"Oh… I get it…" He walked away, to fight.

I'm just not in the mood today.

Zack's POV

Ok, Shawn's obviously p*ssed off… but right now, do we have time to assess this matter? No, we don't. So back to fighting.

I ran up to the giant's leg and slashed at its blue skin with my sword. It left several red marks, but I doubt it was more than a bee sting. It kept attacking us with the stupid club. I officially hate trees.

Dylan and Percy were climbing up his leg, using their swords to pull them up by driving it into the demon's leg. He grunted every time but didn't appear much more hurt than that.

I electrically charged my hands, and they crackled with power. I looked up at the beast. There was a major metal scythe charm around its fat, ugly blue neck. I glanced down at my electrified hands, then at the charm. I raised my hands, extending my energy towards the charm. It shook violently, and I thought it would snap off the rusted chain and smash me into a Zack-Pancake. But then, I shot upward like a rocket.

My little plan didn't get much further than that.

Thing is, when you are shooting up at least two stories at high speeds towards a ton of metal, colliding with it HURTS LIKE HADES.

Well, that's exactly what happened.

My hands collided with the hilt of the scythe. I heard several loud cracks, as if the giant had cracked its meaty knuckles. Pain exploded in my arms, and it felt like someone had smashed my hands and welded them to the bones in my lower arms, which felt like they'd been welded to my upper arms. I will NOT describe what it looked like, because you would never forgive me if I did.

And that wasn't the only thing that was smashed.

So was my power. My electrical current left me in the collision, and then I fell, down towards the rocks below. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch death rush at me. I'd need a miracle to survive.

Then, I crashed. I couldn't breathe. I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't. I must be dead.

But I wasn't dead. Suddenly, I softly hit the rocks, and the thing I had crashed into left me. I took in a deep breath and carefully opened my eyes.

And I couldn't believe my eyes.

Waves of water were swirling around the giant, and it roared in protest as the waves tried to consume him. The water was like stone, but moving so fast, so stream-lined. The water began to freeze, locking him in place. He tried to back up, but was pushed back into the death trap. The water froze him, and it was so thick and rough, I couldn't see inside. It shook violently, but it couldn't escape. Then, it stopped moving. And the ice shattered into billions of ice shards that were so tiny, the little sunlight shone off the gem-like shards, and sparkles filled the air. The giant was gone.

I looked at Percy in disbelief. He shook his head. I looked to Dylan; he shook his head as well. My eyes went over to Shawn, who was standing, his back turned, and staring at the ice filled sky in anger and remorse.

"Shawn... Did you..."

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Zack, not in the mood." he muttered. I nodded, and my arms exploded in unimaginable pain. I fainted.

Tia's POV

I stared at Shawn, amazed. I ran towards him happily, but before I was even two yards away from him, he ran, face hidden from us. I hesitated, and then followed him. No one bothered to follow.

He ran far, really far. He didn't stop 'till we reached the other side of what used to be Central Park. He climbed onto the edge of a large stone, sitting with his legs hanging over the edge. He stared down, eyes filled with unreadable, mixed-up, amazingly strong emotions. I sat down next to him. He didn't care, but he didn't acknowledge me.

"So, what's up?" I asked, somewhat casually.

"De-ja-vu, huh?" he asked, with a sorrowful tone. What happened to the happy child of Poseidon I knew for all these years?

"Yeah... What's wrong?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder after a moment's hesitation.

"Everything. Tori, New York, Camp, everything. It's all my fault."

"WHAT?" I cried, "Nothing is your fault! It's Kronos! It's all of the titans!"

"Well, Tori is." Shawn muttered darkly. The shadows covered his face. a scowl was on his angry face. This look didn't suit him. It was just wrong.

"Tori... Would have said you made the right choice. She would have hated it if you chose her over the world."

"The world is already destroyed. I left her for nothing." he growled.

"Shawn, you're taking this too hard on yourself." I said softly.

"Tori…" He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tight. His hands gripped the stone, and he sat there, attempting to endure gods know how much pain. I hugged him, and he didn't move. He was basically a stone.

"Maybe she's here now… and we can't see her…" I suggested hopefully. He shook his head.

"With all those monsters and guards, the odds aren't too good. She's _gone_. I'll never see her again. She'll never see me. Only in death." He whispered, a few tears sliding down his cheek. "Tori… I'll never forget you." He said to nobody, since she wasn't there.

Or was she?

3POV

Tori sat down on a rock. "But Shawn, I can see you. I always can, always have, always will," She shook her head sadly, "Though you can't see, hear, or feel me, I'm always there. I'm here right now." She looked at him, a silvery tear sliding down her transparent cheek. She kissed his cheek, and she sat there with him and Tia. The wind stirred the dirt on the ground, several yards below. Not another living being was in sight besides Shawn and Tia. But Tori was there too.

Nobody knew she was, though.

They think she's gone forever, but she's been there all along.

**TT, TV, and RW: *awed silence***

**HK: :3 I have that effect on people…**

**TT: You…**

**RW: …..**

**TV: …..**

**HK: Are awesome?**

**All: ….**

**HK: Well anyways Tia and I are making a website for this trilogy so we will post the link as soon as we are done! Each character has their own page if they were mentioned more than once, but the characters already in PJO don't.**

**All: NOW REVIEW!**


	16. Invaded Home Sweet Invaded Home

TT: Hehehehe... *evil grin*  
HK: Oh gods... what are you gonna do...?  
TT: MWAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU'LL SEE IF YOU READ!  
Disclaimer: -_- *bangs heads against wall*

Zack's POV

My eyes fluttered open at the feeling of standing in front of a recurring wave.  
"It's working," I heard Tia's voice say. "Dylan, try it again."  
Dylan took a big breath. He grunted and spurt a few more sprits of water into my face. I spit it out and sat up with wide eyes.  
"Well it's about time," Percy rolled his eyes. I weakly smirked.  
My eyes focused on the setting. I had a tiny panic attack, because I was looking at my cabin. Cabin 1.  
"WHOA! OH MY GODS!" I scrambled to my feet and scurried all over the room. "HOW THE- WHO THE- WHAT THE-"  
"SHUT UP!" My friends yelled all at once. Tia stepped forward.  
"We kind of... walked back to camp. Percy carried you."  
Percy stuck his tongue out and Tia continued.  
"We ran into a few encounters-" She gestured to her left leg and left arm, which were wrapped in gauze. "-and SOMEONE wouldn't carry me."  
Her head turned over to Percy. He threw his arms up in frustration.  
"I WAS ALREADY CARRYING ZACK!"  
"Oh, very heroic, Son of the Sea God!"  
Percy grunted and sat down next to me. I patted his back.  
"Anyways," Shawn continued for Tia. "We're resting here for the night. All of the monsters seemed to fade off to destroy some other place or something. We all need the rest, and this is our only safe place."  
"Safe?" I stood up and walked to the door. I gestured to the horrible wasteland; Big House burned to ashes, dead demigods (none of which I recognized) and yellow monster dust scattered the ground. "You call this place safe?"  
"It's the best we can do, Zack!" Tia yelled, voice hard as stone. I shrunk back a little by the tone of her voice. Dylan smirked.  
"Sorry," I mumbled. "So, no sign of monsters? Whatsoever?"  
Tia shook her head and winced. "These gashes are getting infected. I'm going to the Apollo cabin for some ambrosia."  
She attempted to walk, but stumbled and fell. I wanted to help her, but Dylan immediately rushed to her side.  
"Let me carry you," He put his arm around her. "You can't walk."  
"Of course I can walk!" she exclaimed and stood up. She took a first step. While her foot was in the air, she winced and shrieked, and fell down again.  
"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Dylan hoisted Tia up and headed out the door.  
Shawn's POV  
I hate my life.  
The love of my life - dead. The world - dead. And whose fault is this? - mine. I punched the white marble wall from my anger. At first my hand was numb, then I felt it.  
"OWWWWWW!"  
Hmm, what were those lyrics to that one song?  
'What happens when karma, turns right around and bites you, and everything you stand for turns on you despite you.'  
Well, it's true. It's my entire fault, and it's all gonna backfire on me. I can't say I don't deserve it.  
I continued out the door following the couple, familiarizing  
myself with my home. Jeez, it did NOT look like this in my memories.  
A few cabins burned down, including Tia's. There was only two more Aphrodite's left, not including her. My cabin was severely damaged, but didn't collapse. Most campers were practicing for the next battle, sword fighting and javelin tossing, and bow and arrow shooting. I felt like a lost little boy in elementary school, having to follow my friends and staring up at everything. Campers ran up to me, asking what happened. Or they just stared weirdly at me...probably because I was dead a few hours ago.  
But the worst part: when they asked me where Tori was.  
I would either glare and stomp away, or say the simple words: "Gone. Forever."  
Chiron had gone to fight with Olympus, dragging the Party Ponies with him. Damn, we could've used them. Now only the demigods can help destroy the Titan army are here right now, most of them dead or severely injured. I couldn't take it.  
Suck it up, I chided. No time for whining.  
I headed down to the half-blown-up arena. It wasn't as full as I remember, now it only had about sixty more two-handed swords. I rummaged through the pile and stared up at the ones hanging from the ceiling. I glanced up to my upper-right and found the one sword I've been looking for.  
It was a four-foot sword with a wooden grip, a thin rope outlining the grip. It was half Stygian iron, half celestial bronze. It had small, very small, spikes coming out of the sides. It wasn't too heavy or too light. Just perfect.  
I spent a few hours practicing with my new weapon. I had already ripped up and slashed about five million dummies, and shot about a billion arrows just for fun. Although it didn't feel very fun.  
I kept asking myself, is it possible to die from a broken heart?  
Well, I thought, I guess I'll find out at the battle.  
I crossed the magical border of camp, which isn't so magical anymore. The Golden Fleece was stolen, and Thalia's pine burned down to a pile of powdery ash. I made my way through the woods and sat on a flat rock.  
I didn't cry. I was too angry at myself to cry. I just sat there in silence, the sun setting. My mind was totally blank except for one thought: Tori.  
I had lost my memory in Elysium, but I still felt a connection with her, a deep feeling that you couldn't, for a million years, find.  
I'd loved her forever, even through death. And I haven't even noticed until now.

Tia's POV

It was ten minutes to ten o' clock. I walked back into the opening from target-shooting. My cuts were healed.  
I realized that Shawn was following me from glancing over my shoulder. I slowed down so he could catch up.  
"Hey buddy," I forced a smile.  
Shawn stayed silent.  
I lowered my gaze to the ground. "So, were you practicing?"  
"A little."  
"Then where were you?"  
A tear ran down his cheek. A tear ran down mine and I put my arm around him in a comforting hug.  
"Sorry. I bet Tori's up in heaven, just thinking about you. She  
still loves you. I can feel it."  
"How do you know?" he snapped. "I abandoned her, and now I  
can never EVER see her again. How could she still love me?"  
I smiled. "I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. I know these things."  
His face softened. I hugged him tighter and headed into the Zeus cabin. Zack, Dylan, Shawn, Nico, Percy, Annabeth and I were staying in there together. Most of our cabins were burnt to the ground, and we wanted to stay together.  
I sat down next to Dylan.  
"Hey beautiful," he smiled. I put my head in his shoulder, a tear still sliding down my cheek.  
"This sucks."  
"I know. It'll be better soon. We'll make it through this. I promise." Dylan wrapped his arms around my waist and started to drift off. I fell asleep instantly, him holding me in his arms.

Percy's POV

It was about three o' clock when I thought we all were gonna die.  
We were all sleeping except for me, keeping watch. I wasn't taking any chances. You could hear a pin drop in this darkness!  
Suddenly, a low rumbling sound came ringing through my ears. We all woke up in alarm.  
"Shhh!" I ordered. "Listen!"  
Every second, the noise became louder and closer. We huddled together in the far corner of the cabin, hugging each other for protection. Although our weapons were in our hands.  
The ground shook. Pictures and shelves toppled over, crashing onto the marble floor.  
"What's happening?" Annabeth shrieked. "An earthquake?"  
"No," I said quietly, realizing what was going on. "Something much worse."  
Then it came. Out the door, you can see the entire Titan army, stampeding through Camp Half-Blood, crushing and destroying everything.  
All the cabins.  
All the campers.  
And I thought we were next.

All: *staring at the computer screen*  
TT: see, I told ya.  
All: ...  
TT: well, enjoy the next few chapters of the book! I can smell another book in the series coming along... :)


	17. Our World, Upsidedown and Sideways

**HK: Ok, if this is inaccurate don't blame me I skimmed through the last chapter Tia gave me in a rush before I lost it again -.- I'm basing this off pure memory!**

**TT: Tori, I'm worried.**

**HK: why doubt me? Have I ever let you down? Wait no... Don't answer that. Why?**

**TV: your memory sucks, all offense intended :P**

**RW: xP ok, just let this dark chapter begin. Beware for purposely OOCness in our own characters! : 3 for this reason it is rated OTCDFYTT, or 'Off The Charts Darkness From Yours Truly Tori!'**

**HK: it's not that dark -.- that's like, minimum. I shouldn't have done it from memory...**

**Disclaimer: RW: -_- RR: : / I'm bored. RW: me too...**

Shawn's POV

The whole entire Titan army had come to finish this place off. My hands clenched tight, and my knuckles turned white. Great. Just great. Exactly what I needed to top off my mood. I was officially p*ssed off entirely, and now these guys come. I'm going to kill them ALL.

I walked out, my weapon from the arena in hand. I stood, facing the army. I didn't realize that I was alone out there. Everyone was either dead, too injured to fight, or smart enough to know this was no contest. The titans will destroy camp for good. I stood in a fighting stance. The army saw me, a lone fighter, and advanced faster.

They would have caught me, if Dylan hadn't come along and dragged me out of the way. I writhed, trying to escape his stone grip. But he dragged me with ease, into the woods. I heard twigs snapping up ahead. We must be escaping. The branches and stones scraped and scarred my legs. But then Dylan slowed down, and I stood up. Camp was almost out of view. But I could still see my cabin, a one floor, marble cabin which smelled like the salty sea. Seashells bordered it. The symbol of Poseidon's Trident was on the side wall. It was already half-destroyed, but it was home. Not only could I see that, but I could see it going down in flames, and down in the enemy wave. Just like that, my home was gone. And the Titan army remained.

I didn't cry. I was too angry at everything. My fists clenched again, and I closed my eyes to hide the scene that was layer out before me. Everything. I had lost everything. All I had was the torn clothes on my back, a handful of my once many friends, and doubt, sorrow, and a blinding rage.

There, I told myself, and promised, Kronos and his Titan buddies would die by my sword, or by my friends' weapons, in cold blood. Even if they were immortal, I would get them as close to death as possible. They wouldn't escape us. They are one of the reasons Tori is dead right now, so I will hunt them to the ends of the earth, until they are dead with her.

Tia's POV

Shawn was standing there, back turned to us, eyes closed and fists clenched. He was deep in thoughts as his cabin was burnt and smashed until there was only marble dust. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Shawn..."

"I'll kill them. I'll kill them all." he threatened. What was going on with him? I guess it wasn't surprising, but he had this crazy urge to kill everyone in cold blood, no matter who it was. He was ravenous for revenge, for blood, for death by his sword. He had changed. Tori's death had flipped him upside-down and sideways. He was dark.

"Shawn, what's going on with you lately? You're... Out for blood!" I threw my hands out in a Shawn-what-are-you-thinking-this-is-insane way.

"They're out for ours." he reasoned darkly. "They killed everyone. We're probably the last survivors. We have to stop them."

He had a point. A dark, dreadful point.

"So we just rush into there and kill them all?" I asked him ridiculously. "Shawn, I agree with you, but right now we have more important matters to take care of. We have to save Olympus."

"Olympus is as good as ashes by now. What's the point?" he growled, "That's right, there is none. All we have is us."

"Shawn! Snap out of it! What would Tori want you to do?" I demanded, snapping my fingers in his face. No one else stepped forward to help me, but what I had just said sealed it. He stopped.

"How would I know? I don't even remember her! I don't remember any of you! I don't remember anything!" he demanded, angry.

"Shawn, I know you do. Somewhere in your head, you DO remember her. You remember all of us somehow. Now tell me, just guess even, what would she want you to do?"

He was silent. His breathing turned jagged, like he was breathing in rocks.

"Shawn? Are you ok?" I asked. I walked in front of him, and he just stood there, a living stone. Tears streamed down his face. He mouthed her name over and over, as if trying to remember her. "Shawn... I-I'm sorry..." Those two words that I rarely said had escaped my lips. I had to say them a lot more lately. I'm sorry.

He just stood there, deep in thought again. I knew he wasn't listening at all. He stopped silently saying her name and pursed his lips, nervous, wondering, tight.

Then he turned around, buried his pale hands in his pocket, and walked away, face hidden in the shadows. "Let's go." he commanded while walking, not bothering to look up at us, "I'm tired of just standing here while the world is burning around us."

I dropped back behind Shawn, back to Percy, Dylan, Nico and Zack. They might know something I don't. I don't understand guys like guys do.

"Well?" I whispered.

"What?" Percy asked.

"What's going on in his head?" I demanded softly so no one else would hear.

"We can't read minds." Nico pointed out. I glared.

"Guess. I'm not a guy, I'm an Aphrodite!"

"Then you should know." Dylan remarked. I smacked him across the face.

"Ow! What the hades was-"

"For being all wise$$ with a ticked off Aphrodite. Rule número dos in the Aphrodite rule book, never mess with a ticked off Aphrodite." I smirked.

"Aphrodite's kids own a book? That's a first!" Zack mused. I smacked him too.

"Rule number 1, never insult The Great Book, ever. We will find out."

They all groaned.

"Now answer me. What's he thinking?"

"From the Unwritten book of Guys, after a guy's girlfriend dies a horrible death, and everything just ends up going backwards, they kinda go with the flow. They're personalities, actions and thoughts go backwards, too. Revenge is a must." they all chorused. I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, book worms." I thanked sarcastically. "I sure couldn't figure that out myself."

"Well, guys keep to the basics like that. I'm sure he's hiding more, though. Maybe not. Hard to tell." Zack explained.

"You're all so much help..." I muttered, walking faster to get away from those three dimwits. I joined up with Annabeth for the time being, and we walked in silence. The sounds of the destruction of our once safe haven had been perished long ago, so the only thing I heard was the twigs snapping under our feet. We had escaped very easily. Maybe too easily.

But it was just the beginning. Just the beginning of a long series of bloody, tragic, deathly, sorrowful events in the ruins of Earth. Call it a suicide mission, if you want.

Maybe Shawn was right, in a sense. Maybe the world IS falling around us, and maybe we're falling apart too.

Tori's POV

I stood on the edge of the road with Bianca as a wave of newly deceased poured through the gates of Elysium. They were all demigods who died. Rylee was among the wave. I had returned to greet her as she entered. After that, I was back in the upper world. I suppose I had a 'quest'. Except I wasn't going anything. Ok, quest doesn't fit. Maybe, a movie too real for most to handle.

Finally, I saw a flash of blonde hair. Bleach blonde. Only one person could have that color hair; Rylee.

"RYLEE!" I called.

"Rylee!" Bianca called with me. She darted into the crowd, grabbed Rylee's hand, and dragged her over to me. I waved and we hugged.

"Tori! Geez, you died horribly, huh?" she smirked.

"Oh, shut up. You were dissolved into ashes after being slashed in half."

"Ha-ha. How'd you know?"

I pointed to Bianca, and she blushed.

"Traitor!" Rylee crossed her arms across her chest, puffed up her chest boldly, and stuck her nose up, making a high (and obviously fake) "Humph!" We laughed at the ridiculous pose.

We finally caught a hold on ourselves, and Bianca reminded me, "Tori, I thought you were..."

Rylee looked at us, "What? You're leaving? So soon? I just got here!"

"Rylee... I have to leave. Sorry. I'll be back... Hopefully soon."

"Where are you... Oh." she realized. She smiled. "Good luck, you're so gonna need it."

"Never in a million years, Ryles." I smirked, using her nickname. I slipped away towards my secret exit to the real world. I traveled up the slope, and I shadow-traveled to the woods at camp.

I easily found the group, but I sure wish I hadn't. Tia was stumbling along, with Annabeth at her side; Tia's injured leg was probably paining her. But she kept it hidden well. Zack, Percy, Nico and Dylan stuck back, whispering amongst each other. But I didn't pay attention to that. I saw Shawn walking far ahead, face hidden in the shadows. I drifted up to him, and saw his face. His sea green eyes weren't their usual bright and happy green. They were a dull green, no glow to them. His face was still in the shadows, but I could see the stone-like, sorrowful frown.

"Oh my gods Shawn... What's happened to you?... To Tia?... To everyone?"

I didn't know if Shawn heard me, maybe he did, but he gave me, more or less, an answer.

"Tori... If you're there... Everything's upside down. Maybe even me... I'm confused... And... I'm sorry." he whispered. Sorry?

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything!" I reasoned. He sighed.

"I didn't choose right. This world is gone. You're gone. I don't even know why I'm talking. You're gone. You probably can't hear me. What's the point of anything anymore?" he asked.

"There's a reason for everything."

"You'd probably say that there's a reason for everything." Interesting. He knew! "I don't know how I know. I don't think I ever heard you say it. Heck, who am I to say? I don't even know you... I don't know anyone I'm traveling with... I don't know anything. But I have connections, especially to you... Why? Tori, who are you? Where are you? And why did you leave me here without a clue about anything? I've been thrown right in the middle of all of this, and you're dead..." Shawn asked, staring up at the sky in despair. I saw his face out if the shadows. He was pale, scars all over his face and neck. His lip had a scar. He looked like a true fighter. I mean, he always was a true fighter, but not like this. Not like himself. He wasn't the same. His memory was lost for some reason. He... I needed to let him know I was here. I couldn't let him go on looking for me when I'm right here. I needed to answer his questions. Though the last one I couldn't answer. Tears nearly pushed through my eyes when he asked. I put a hand on his shoulder. He shivered. "T-Tori?" he whispered.

"Yes... It's me. I heard all of that." I whispered back. He didn't answer. He couldn't hear me. I sighed. I looked at a tree, and I had an idea. I slid into the tree, and shook the leaves off from the inside. The nymph kicked me out, but just in time. Leaves came off, and I blew them quickly into a pattern, or letters, to be more exact. I stepped back and admired my handy work. Shawn stopped, amazed. He stared down at the words I had quickly made. It was a rough writing, but it was easy enough to read.

Tia, Zack, Dylan, Nico, Annabeth and Percy approached and saw the writing. Tia gasped. "Tori's...here..." she whispered.

Ok, I think you guys are long tired of the suspense of what I wrote.

I would keep ya hanging a bit longer, but Shawn read the words out loud. Thank him for the end to the suspense I had built.

"I'm here. I always have been." he read, awed.

"She hasn't been here all along..." Percy trailed off as the leaves swirled, forming a new set of words.

"You better believe it Jackson." Tia read, smirking. The leaves swirled once more.

Shawn stared at the words I have carefully written. Then, he actually smiled. I had written...

"Why don't you come to Zeus' Fist and I'll answer all your questions. It's a long story."

Totally harmless and helpful of me, right?

What I didn't know was that Dylan was still a traitor, in a way. He had been chipped. He didn't know, and neither did anyone else but the Titans who chipped him. And they even heard every conversation. They saw everything. Dylan was their human GPS/Recording device/spy camera. We were being tracked all this time.

And with that kind of technology, they could easily spring a trap at Zeus' Fist.

**HK: SO TORI RETURNS!... somehow.** **(AND WHY THE HECK DID I MAKE THIS SO SHORT? IVE BEEN IN A TOTAL FREAKING H*LLHOLE ALL WEEKEND WITH NOPTHING TO DO SO I SHOULD'VE WROTE MORE! GRRR!)**

**TT: you just can't keep yourself out of this.**

**TV: :P how do you know Tori isn't me?**

**RW: Cuz the tori in this story is dating Shawn.**

**TV: 0_o forget what I said.**

**TT: REMEMBER TO WATCH THE TRAILER TO THE FINAL INSTALLMENT IN THIS TRILOGY ON YOUTUBE! w w w. youtube . com / watch?v=Pevd7K1UE0U (take out the spaces)**

**HK: Tia u owe me big time for that video... BIG TIME!**

**TT: *blushes* Uh... How will Tori answer all those questions with leaves, or does she have another way in mind? How will Shawn react to the answers? What about Meghan, Caitlin, Cassie, and everyone else? And who does Tori predict will die? Will any die? Will they all live? And how will I pay Tori back? Will I pay her back? STAY TUNED AND REVIEW TO FIND OUT!**

**HK: WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WILL I PAY HER BACK?' TIAAAAAAAAA!**


	18. Dylan Leaves

**HK: WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE! *pinches***

**TT: OW!**

**TV: we're hovering over Tia until she updates, and not letting her leave the house. She already tried escaping twenty-one times, running down the street with no sleeves or shoes, but we finally got her.**

**HK: WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE!**

**TT: FINE!**

Dylan's POV

After the encounter with Tori, we headed towards Zeus's Fist.

But the whole time, I've been hearing this weird beeping noise, like I was being stalked by a pager.

"Do you guys hear that, too?" I asked, scratching being my right ear.

Tia stared at me like I was insane. "I think the loss of sleep made you delirious."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks honey, I love you too?"

She made an "ugh" sound and walked ahead of me. What's gotten into her? Maybe it's because her best friend died, or how the weight of the world is on our shoulders-

Well, not _literally._ We haven't gone that far yet.

It was about five minutes before we reached our destination. Shawn had a cautious expression plastered on his face, hardening up.

"You okay, man?" I put my hand on his shoulder. He smacked it away.

"There's something wrong," he snapped angrily, "I can feel it."

I decided not to rely on his opinions, but the daughter of deep feelings.

"I sense it too." Tia pondered. "An attack. Get down!"

We all crouched down under a willow tree, which was strange, I don't think I've ever seen willows around here.

_Ugh, shut up Dylan! You're supposed to be saving the world, AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IS IF WILLOW TREES ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN THIS AREA?_

We heard nothing but dead silence for a few minutes. Tick tock, tick tock... I was getting anxious.

A twig snapped behind us. I reached into the long sheath strapped to my belt and pulled out my sword. The others did the same.

We didn't move until a cold, bony hand wrapped around my neck in a death grip.

Tia's POV

All I heard was a scream, and I went ballistic.

My dagger was unsheathed and ready for some killin'. I whirled around to find a zig-zag shaped sword pointed inches away from my nose, and about twenty soldiers behind.

Well, this is where seven years of karate and cheerleading pay off.

"HEE-YA!" I did a back-flip, using my foot to kick the guy in the chin, making him drop the sword... and bite his tongue.

To show off, I did a super-cool, Jackie Chan karate pose. "Bring. It. On."

A girl about the same height as me did a front flip forward. I dropped my dagger. It would just slow me down. The girl thrusted forward with her sword, so I did a back-bend kick-over, kicking her in the stomach as I kicked over. She fell to her side, holding her stomach.

I looked over to find Shawn in a hopeless battle with a huge- and I mean HUGE- guy. His bulging muscles were ripped.

The dude shot his sword forward. Shawn blocked it, bent the guy's arm backwards, making the dude drop his sword. The dude became furious. He yelled out in rage and picked up a large boulder, ready to pound it on Shawn's itty-bitty body. I knew he was a goner.

Well, it's a good thing his awesome little side-kick was there to save his butt!

Right before the dude threw the boulder, I swiped a half-ripped up tarp (maybe from an old tent) off the ground, jumped up, and trapped the dude in the tarp, tackling him to the ground.

"THROW ME YOUR SWORD!" I shouted to Shawn. He tossed me his sword. I grabbed it tight with both hands, and thrusted downward, piercing the dude in the back.

Blood leaked from under the tarp. "Paper covers rock," I said with a triumphant smile and continued on.

Before we knew it, only one person was left.

Or at least I _thought _it was a person.

My worst enemy, the leader of the army, the destroyer of the world, Kronos, was lifting Dylan up by his neck when he saw me.

"You," I growled, stepped forward threateningly.

Kronos laughed and stared at me with his cold, golden eyes, which seemed to see right through me. "Ah, yes. I remember _you._ Christina, is it?"

My face turned beat red. "MY NAME ISN'T CHRISTINA!" I screamed and charged forward, picking up my dagger.

"Oh, I'm _so scared!" _the Titan said sarcastically. "What's a little Aphrodite girl gonna do? Paint my face red with lipstick? Choke me with a blush brush?"

I growled. "Even _you _know I'm much better than that," I smirked and raised my dagger. "By the way, how's that wittle boo-boo healing on your wittle head? Did your mommy kiss it and make it better?"

Okay, maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say to the ruler of all Titans. He dropped Dylan to the ground. Dylan choked for a bit, then weakly stood up.

Kronos raised his scythe. _Oh gods, I forgot about that stupid thing. _I looked pathetic with my tiny dagger.

Kronos charged. "UH, A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE?" I screamed and shielded my face. Kronos was just about to jab me, when...

BAM! The titan shrieked in a voice that sounded like a little girl's, fell to his knees, and put his hands over his- OH MY GODS!

Shawn, Zack, Dylan, and even Nico winced at the sight.

"Oh, man!" "Oh, that's GOT to hurt!" "OUCH!" "Oh crap..."

"WHO DID THAT?" I yelled, twirling around to face everybody. No one answered.

Then Nico's face brightened. "Tori!"

Nico's POV 

This is when being son of Hades pays off. Tori's spirit was right next to Tia. Her arm was around Tia's shoulders.

"Hey, Nico!" she smirked. "Having fun?"

"Tori, did you just-?"

"Yep!"

Tia was puzzled. "What about Tori? Is she here?"

Tori faced me. "Tell her!"

I took a deep breath. "She has her arm around you. She's the one who kicked Kronos's- never mind."

Tia's face brightened. She turned to the side, hugging Tori, looking like she's a crazy girl hugging the air. "Tori! Oh Tori, I've missed you! Thanks for saving me! I love you!"

Tori hugged back. "Tell her to lead you guys out of here. Kronos won't be down that long. He's planted a tracking device on Dylan. That's why he's hearing beeping sounds, not because he's crazy."

I recited what Tori said. They all gasped and stared at Dylan.

"What?" Dylan protested. "I had no idea! I swear!"

"He didn't," Tori continued. "Kronos does that to every one of his recruits- so they can never escape." Kronos groaned. "Get out of here! Go on! Get! I'll catch up with you guys later!"

I yelled out her last words, and she dissolved in the air.

We ran full speed through the woods and stopped after about fifteen minutes of running. Dylan sighed.

"Guys, go on without me. We're being tracked. We'll get attacked if I'm still here."

Tia protested. "No! You're staying here with us! We're a family, we're our _only _family! We have to stick together, or they'll kill all of us!"

Dylan hugged her. "Tia, you guys are gonna get killed if they know where you are. Me being here right now can jeopardize your lives. I have to go."

Dylan went to go away, but she gripped his shoulder. "But Dylan, you can't go! You'll get killed! I'll never... see you... again..." she faltered, dark brown eyes tearing up.

"No," Dylan said firmly. "It's for the best. I'm leaving, whether you say I can't or not." He shook her off, and with one last wave goodbye, he disappeared into the night.

**HK: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TTTHHHHAAAANNNNKKK YYYOOOOUUUU!**

**TT: Uh, you're welcome...?**

**HK: *fly-tackles into a hug***

**TV: 0_o REVIEW!**


	19. Almost Too Late

HK: Finallyy we r writing this chapter mostly together  
TT: :3  
Disclaimer: …. *goes through recycling process*

Tia's POV  
We sat on random logs on the ground, tensely keeping our mouths shut.  
But we all know that was KILLING me.  
"IS SOMEONE GONNA SAY SOMETHING?" I shouted, breaking the silence.  
They all pretty much stared blankly at me for a pure five minutes. It was making me really uncomfortable.  
"We should go and… start… moving," Zack said. "Even when we aren't getting tracked, they could still be searching for us. Dylan leaving wasn't perfect like I thought it was at first."  
I stood up, clenching my fists. "OKAY LOOK YOU LITTLE-"  
"TIA!" Nico yelled.  
"Did you say that or Tori?" I wondered aloud.  
"Tori hasn't said ANYTHING." Nico growled.

Silence.

"Sorry," I murmured. Nico raised his hand saying "Don't even."  
More silence.  
"We need to find the Empire State Building," Annabeth said. "Who knows what they could be doing to it."  
"Why don't we just say Titans or Olympus? I mean, seriously…" Percy wondered. Annabeth looked around nervously, and then stood up.  
"They might have planted a tracking device somewhere, like they did with Dylan…" Annabeth explained.  
"Oh."  
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I insisted and stood up as well. They followed our example, and soon everyone was standing. We packed up… what we had, and started heading through the forest.  
Zack's POV  
I hung back with Nico and Shawn while walking. Both of them had hardened facial expressions, and glared forward.  
"…Are you guys okay?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows. They shot nasty looks at me, and I got the message.  
Tia, Annabeth, and Percy were ahead of us. Of course, Percy and Annabeth stood on either side of Tia, as if they touched each other, they would get some kind of sickness. They're taking this hard, but not as hard as I took it with- never mind.  
"Guys, look!" Tia squealed, pointing forward. There was an opening leading out of the woods. How long have we been walking?  
Annabeth and Tia ran forward, practically jumping for joy. Okay…?  
A smile grew on my face just as the sun hit me. We were back in civilization, our other home, New York.  
I searched around, looking for our target. Then I saw it, a mega city, the place where so many of us had lived at one point, weather as a citizen or as a vagabond. New York City, Manhattan.  
(HK: yes we realize there are no woods near Manhattan and I know I was just there this morning… just, play along 'kay?)  
We walked a bit, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. We entered the city once again, but this time I was not welcomed. This entire place brought back right now was the blood that was once shed here, the betrayals, the final goodbyes.  
Not only that, but the Titans had obviously made some changes. They had already started to rule the city. Citizens weren't weren't enjoying themselves in Central Park or in the stores; they were walking in single file lines into office buildings. There were no kids in sight, except for a few that looked very mature. Trees in the parks were being mowed down, and being replaced with black stone temples and statues of the Titans, or the gods being tortured. There were no smiles, no laughter, and no music playing. The sun in the sky seemed like an insult.  
We walked down the roads, trying to remember which way the Empire State Building was, and it wasn't that hard, actually. We looked up and saw the giant skyscraper, towering above us. We followed streets in that general direction. It was a bit easier with the very strict traffic rules.  
The problem was what we were gonna do when we got there, what we would see when we arrived. I braced myself for the worst, quite honestly scared, because the odds were against us. I had a horrible feeling that not all of us would survive this battle. It may be the final one, and our decisions chose the fate of the world.  
I couldn't help but think… maybe I wasn't ready to make that kind of life-or-death decision yet. Because it wasn't only my life-or-death decision; everyone else's' lives depended on it too.  
One wrong move was all it took. All it took for everything built over the past 2 millennia to come tumbling down. And it would all be our fault.

Shawn's POV  
Our quest was back underway. We were on our way to try to save the world.  
But I've decided it probably would've been better to let it fall, because so far, our decisions aren't looking so good, and they are definitely NOT helping…  
But Dylan had told me, there was no turning back. And he was right. We didn't have time. I wouldn't be surprised of Olympus literally came tumbling out of the sky as soon as we walked into the elevator.  
Two more blocks…. Two more blocks… We sprinted as fast as we could, we had to make it.  
We couldn't fail here. We couldn't! Not after all this sacrifice, all of this hard work. Failing was not an option. I didn't die, come back, then not save Tori so I wouldn't save the world, and the billions of lives that inhabited it! (TT: notice how he said "not save Tori" xD)  
We skidded to a stop in front of the Empire State Building. I heard thunder rumbling up above, cracks appearing in the building, and the sky turning black with thunderclouds. Lightning flashed and ripped through the clouds, striking the building. Wind whirled around the structure, and the building groaned. We were almost too late.

ALMOST.

TOO.

LATE.

But just fast enough. We ran inside.  
The interior was empty.  
Oh, except for the, of I don't know…. 50 something monsters, demigods and mortal dogs that were armed with Titan weapons, which were aimed directly at us.  
And a deadly (hopefully not literal) silence filled the room.  
We all stood back to back, muscles tense and eyes wide. "They set up this trap. They knew we would come…" Annabeth whispered.  
"How? Dylan left," Tia faltered. Annabeth shrugged with one shoulder.  
"Maybe they knew we would come here."  
"Not surprising, they know everything else." I growled.  
A burly demigod, almost twice my size, raised his giant sword, "Enemies, leave and live or stay and die."  
"In your delusional dreams!" Zack challenged. He took his sword out of its sheath. We all then drew our weapons.  
"Then prepare to die." He said simply. Then all of Hades broke loose.

We all had each other at one another's back. The whole army was charging, weapons ready. I gripped my sword tighter, knowing this was not the smartest idea in the whole (which, might not be so whole at the end of the night…) wide world. But we didn't have a choice.  
Then, as if an unspoken command, we all broke apart and charged. I took down a hellhound with two swift slashes. I dodged a blade or two. I stabbed a few other enemies. I tried my hardest; we didn't come this far for nothing.  
But obviously, it wasn't gonna be that easy, now was it?  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a demigod racing towards me. The big one, who threatened us in the beginning. He raised his sword and was about to slice me in half. I rolled out of the way and came up kneeling. His momentum worked against him, and he fell. Looks aren't everything, I remembered someone telling me.  
Wait, I wasn't supposed to remember anything!  
But I did, I remembered a voice, screaming from across the arena in Camp Half-Blood. Two years ago. Fighting Percy. Yes, I remembered. Why now, what happened?  
While lost in my bewildered thoughts, my opponent had recovered, and smacked my chest with the flat of his sword. Pain erupted in my chest. I didn't cry out though. I had to keep fighting, and I couldn't give my enemies the satisfaction either.  
I stood up and drove my sword forward. The demigod dodged, just barely. He was a giant, strong and sturdy, but I was nimble, tiny, and quick. I quickly turned and returned with another blow. He hadn't recovered yet, so the blade drove right into his chest. He gasped, both in pain and in amazement.  
"Looks aren't everything…" I whispered as I watched the light fade out of his eyes.  
Tia's POV  
While battling a rather skinny son of Demeter, I glanced to my right and saw a familiar figure tied up in the next room. That distracted me, leaving my gaze toward the door. The demigod I was fighting smacked me in the face with the flat of his blade.  
I went barreling backwards. After regaining my balance, I parried the opponent's jab, slashing his chest. When I saw him collapse, I headed for the door.  
What I saw made me catch my breath. It was my very own Dylan who was tied up, his eyes filled with relief as I barged in.  
"Oh my gods, Dylan!" I shrieked as I ripped the duct tape off his mouth.  
"Tia! Oh thank gods you're…" his eyes widened as he clutched his mouth. "OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"  
"Oh sorry" I blushed as I used my dagger to cut the ropes off him. "What are you doing here?  
He stood up quickly and hugged me. Does that answer my question? No.  
"Come on, let's go fight…" he whispered. He pulled back and I frowned as he turned , picking up a random sword from a fallen soldier, then engaging in battle. He didn't answer my question.  
And I think you can guess that I was DYING to know.  
(HK: now, give it up for TV, who has written the upcoming paragraph! xD TV: when you asked me what my initials should be, I said TB not TV. -_-' HK: o_o oops. I'm deaf, speak up and speak clear, please!)  
He seemed eager to join the fight; I guessed that was because he wanted to avoid my question. It must have been a very touchy subject if he actually WANTED to risk his life in a bloody battle. What perplexed me was that he was particularly guarding a spot to the left of his stomach. He wasn't playing like himself; playing on the defensive, and not the offensive. There was a lot he wasn't telling me.  
I glanced towards the elevator, seeing that we had a clearer path than we did before. I guess the enemy has engaged in battle, not thinking that anyone would dare try to escape.  
"THE ELEVATOR!" I shouted. Dylan, Shawn, Zack, Nico, Percy and Annabeth looked in my direction, then their gaze shifted towards the elevator. As if on cue, they all sprinted to it, dodging the people jabbing at them as they ran.  
Suddenly, two hellhounds sprung in front of me. Gods, I won't make it now… I cursed under my breath. I began to slow down.  
"RUN!" a voice screamed. A sword broke through the startled hound's body, and it collapsed. The other hellhound, terrified, bounded away. But another sword sliced that one in half, too. Dylan!  
…and ZACK?  
How ironic… I mean, WTH?  
We all raced towards the elevator, once again.  
When all of us packed into the elevator, I slammed my palm against the 600 button. (The key was destroyed; anyone could go up. I wondered what happened to the poor, innocent mortals who went up….)  
(The following paragraph sounded very wrong at first, until we edited it. PM us if you want the first version because I think some viewers are maybe too young to know. Anyone under the age of 10, do not even bother to ask…)  
The elevator went up slowly, and I was practically jumping up and down. Go faster you frickin' elevator! Go, go, GO!  
I felt everyone else's' anxiety too. The tight space wasn't helping, with the ADHD and all. My muscles were tense, adrenaline still pouring through my veins from the battle. And my stomach was in knots from what could possibly await us on Olympus. I felt bad for those of us who were injured; Annabeth had an ugly scar on one cheek, and she held a ripped piece of her shirt to stop the flow of blood. The white fabric was soaked.  
I leaned up against the wall, breathing deeply. Everyone was too wound up to care much about Dylan's return, but either way, he came up and stood next to me. "Nervous?"  
"Yeah," I admitted. "I mean, saving the world? I don't feel so up to that."  
He held my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We can do it… you just amazingly pull things off like that. And you're not alone."  
My stomach did a flip, and I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder. "Thanks…"


	20. The End

HK: Ello sorry we're late xD

TT: I hope you forgive us about lying, since the last chapter wasn't the last one in this series xD

TV: however, this one probably will be xD

RW: AND IT'S SUMMER! xD

HK: are we gonna keep ending with xD

TV, RW, and TT: o.o ... xD

Disclaimer: xD

Zack's POV

I'm gonna snap that little biscuits neck into a million tiny pieces, rip each of his vertebra out one by one, smash his idiotic head in, then smear his blood across the Master Bolt.

...No offense dad.

Just then, the elevator groaned to a stop. The doors didn't open.

$h*t, I thought.

Tia and Dylan had quit making out in the corner, and everyone was suddenly snapped out of whatever trance they were in. We all glanced at one another in worry and anxiety.

Shawn looked up, "We're screwed aren't we?"

Annabeth shrugged, "We're around the 574th floor. I'd say the Titans are trying to delay our arrival."

"Escape options?" Tia asked.

I shrugged, "Up." I thrusted my hand towards the ceiling of the elevator. A burst of electricity broke the ceiling apart with an explosion. Debris tricked down the shaft, and staring up we could see a ladder. We boosted everyone up, then I shot up on a burst of air, onto the ladder and started climbing.

I almost didn't hear Tia mutter, "Show-off."

We climbed for what seemed like forever. None of us said a word. Everything was silent except for our hands grasping the icey metal. Literally, icey! It was hard to hold the metal because ice was forming on the rails. That's also why the elevator got stuck. The gears just FROZE. Frozen solid. Even the gods probably don't know why.

Alright. Even I am getting bored of talking about climbing for eternity. I bet you expected this to be all action-packed, with the scary-end-of-the-world scenario, to find us freezing our butts off as we keep climbing and climbing...

Fast forward!

As the dim shaft grew lighter, and the murky air grew more breathable, I knew we were close. I found myself picking up the pace, speeding up till I nearly ran into Nico.

"Watch it!"

"We're almost there!"

"WHAT?" everyone else exclaimed, suddenly scrambling over each other.

"And the shaft's kinda cracking!" Tia screamed, suddenly jerking her hand, where a largening crack in the metal was forming.

"$H*T!" We once again began scrambling over one another.

"We gotta move!" Shawn insisted, climbing faster.

"NO SHIZ SHERLOCK!" Tia growled, while I said "We're not gonna make it!"

And I was right. Kinda. The shaft began to give way, the weakened structure groaning. Intense hurricane winds broke the shaft apart, throwing chunks of metal and concrete spiraling towards the ground below.

And we all began to fall.

Dylan's POV

Welcome to Death's Doorstep. Population: 7.

Everyone was screaming bloody murder. The creepily clouded sky and the pavement swirled together as we tumbled through the sky.

Then suddenly, our deadly decent slowed. Soon we were nearly hovering. I saw Zack, who, was heroically sweating and concentrating hard. I saw his mouth muttering Greek curses.

Suddenly I knew why. And I knew he couldn't hold this long. As much as I SO didn't want to help him and just let him die, I didn't want everyone else to die because of my grudge against him. I had quickly summoned water, and with Shawn's help, we managed to form a large mass of water, which we froze to ice. We used more water and air to thrust the block upwards, so we were standing on a fast moving elevator up towards what could be another life-or-death situation.

We hit the edge of Olympus, and after flying at speeds as fast as an airplane, landing was no easy task. Well, actually it was. We just crashed. Doing it safe and doing it comfortably was nearly impossible.

Upon impact, the ice shattered into a million little pieces, and we tumbled onto the ground. We just stayed where we were, waiting for the pain to pass. Groans came from all around.

"My leg..." Nico groaned.

"My head..." I muttered, rubbing where I banged my head on the cobblestone. I was seeing red from exerting too much energy. Shawn wasn't looking much better, either.

"My internal organs..." Zack moaned. We all looked at his unworthy self, curled in a ball on the floor.

"Nice to know." Tia regarded him coldly.

"Guys! Not now..." Annabeth broke in. "We still gotta save Olympus..."

More groans came from everyone. How much could the Fates expect from us?...

We all got to our feet eventually, the flow of blood from our scrapes and wounds slowing, and we looked around at what remained of Olympus. And it was really confidence-dampening.

Every marble fountain was smashed to ruble. Temples were aflame, statues frozen in blocks of ice, and satyrs, minor gods and goddesses, and demigods were solid stone. The normally clear skies were now clouded, but with weird purple clouds.

"The clouds aren't really purple." Zack realizes, "It's just reflecting the light coming off the..." he points to the top of Mount Olympus, where the Throne Room, once radiant and bright, was crumbling. A gigantic torch alight with deep violet flames was throwing flames at the pillars, swirling around them and engulfing them. The clouds were swirling around the top. "We're so screwed if we don't move NOW."

And again we were on the move, sprinting as fast as we ever had. We didn't bother looking at anything except for what could be the end of the world as we knew it. Our wounds meant nothing. Our interests meant nothing. All that was important was the fact that we made it to the top. We flew up the steps two at a time, and we ran through the open doors, which were blown off their hinges by what seemed like Greek fire.

And at the top, a force blew me and anyone near by off their feet.

And looking up, I saw something that I never, EVER, wanted to see in my whole entire lifetime.

Shawn's POV

Gods, now I know I'm dreaming.

Kronos was there.

Iapetus was there.

Oceanus was there.

And the Big Three were there.

All together in the same room.

But that wasn't all.

The Big Three were unconscious. And the other three stood holding their symbols of power. And the Big Three were bleeding blood. HUMAN BLOOD.

We just lost, didn't we?

"You-What did you do?" Tia demanded. "What did you do to them?"

Kronos replied with a fiendish grin. "They're not dead yet. They're just pathetic little mortals. They can't do anyone harm now."

Okay, they just... Mortalified the Big Three. And MY DAD. So obviously, I'm really p*ssed off.

"CAN'T DO ANYONE HARM?" I clenched my fists and took a threatening step forward, "WELL YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH HARM! THOSE WEAPONS ARE BETTER IN THEIR HANDS! HAND 'EM OVER OR WE'RE GONNA MAKE YOU!"

Oceanus laughed, then pointed Poseidon's Trident at me. Suddenly, ice formed around me, binding me to the nearby pillar. I tried to control the ice, but my power was weakened. His power was more than mine. By a lot. I eventually just slumped down in defeat.

"You pathetic demigod. That wasn't even an ounce of my new power. I could kill you right now if I wanted to." he snarled.

"Pathetic demigod, MY $$!"

Everyone looked at Nico weirdly. That was really or of character, life or death situation or not. He shrugged. "She told me to say whatever she said. It's become a habit."

Then it hit me. Just when a stygian iron torch began floating around the room. She melted my bonds. She danced around a bit more. Then she struck Oceanus in the back of the head. The crack from the impact was heard from all the way across the room. And the Titan fell to the floor. I didn't know many people who had the guts to do that. And I only knew one who was dead and who told Nico to repeat whatever she said.

Oceanus got up, "What the-?"

"TORI?" We all exclaimed.

"She said, "ATTACK! HURRY!"

And we didn't need much more motivation than that.

All of what used to be Hades broke loose. Our weapons drawn, we each attacked one of the three titans. Me, Dylan, and Tori took on Oceanus. Sword, sword, and torch VS. Trident.

Me and Dylan each took a side, trying to cut him up enough, while Tori weakened him from the back side. But Oceanus was faster, and stronger. He cut us all up pretty bad. I lunged while he held of Dylan, but he dodged and I only grazed his armor. Dylan slashed and he used ice as his defense. Then, he pulled a good one.

He, and the two other titans had been getting closer and closer. Soon, Iapetus had switched with Oceanus. Kronos stopped us in our tracks. And Tori suddenly became visible. And she was trapped in a Stygian Iron cage, wrapped in chains. And we were all trapped in ice. Time unfroze at that moment.

Annabeth, Percy, Tia, Dylan, Zack, Nico and I were stunned. I saw Tori for the first time. And my memory was coming back. Everything was coming together. But our world was falling apart.

"T-tori..." I whispered so quietly I could barely hear myself. Tori stared at me in terror. She mouthed one word, "Help."

Kronos sighed, "Pathetic. You are good fighters. I'll give you that. It's a shame you can't help us..." he gave us a sly smile. "Or maybe you can."

"No." we all said in unison.

"Now, let me explain before you decide. You can either die right now, and never see Tori again, or..." he glanced at me, "...you can help us, become generals of our army, and I will bring your precious Tori back to life and restore your memory. You'll live happily ever. I can do all of that. I was behind all of that. And I can FIX all of that. That's what you want, isn't it?"

He was evil, I told myself, he won't do all of that. He lies.

But it was so tempting. All I had to do was say YES. And then Tori would be back. I'd remember everything. I'd be happy. It might even be like nothing ever changed. I opened my mouth to respond, when someone cut me off.

"Shawn, no!" Tia insisted. "Look around first. LOOK."

I did. My mind wouldn't let me do anything else. I scanned everyone carefully.

The titans were hopeful. They looked sincere. But I had learned to understand that slight sly grin, that evil glint in their eye, their scrunched eyebrows. They had an evil intent. They couldn't be trusted.

Now my friends. They were worried. That was obvious. Each one of them was staring at me, eyes wide and astonished that I was even considering their offer.

Then there was Tori. She lay on the floor of the cage, staring at me sadly. She was shaking her head slightly. Her lips were moving slightly, just enough so I could make out the words. "Don't trust them... They lie... Save the world... Not me... Please."

Before I even knew what was happening, I found myself saying, "Forget it."

Now they were furious.

"NO?" Kronos roared, "HOW COULD YOU SAY NO?"

"FOOL!" Oceanus thrust my father's trident at me, "ALL OF THAT AND YOU SAY NO? ARROGANCE! THAT'S ALL YOU DEMIGODS HAVE!"

Now, my bonds began to burn me. I stifled a scream. The Ice grew so cold that it hurt. It expanded and trapped me entirely, until even my face was covered in ice. The last thing I saw before blacking out was Tori, dissolving into ashes until there was nothing left. Nothing left of the girl who had saved my life, even at the cost of hers.

Tia's POV

Okay, now THAT was the LAST STRAW. I mean, you could throw me off a cliff and probably won't get more than a few broken ribs when I find you. But freezing my best friend solid then wiping the other from existence is asking for a death. And I WILL draw BLOOD. Or, Ichor, in this case. They won't have any left to spare once I'm done.

"Melt us now." I commanded smoothly.

"Ha! You think we will just do so because you told us to?"

"NOW." I repeated, intensity seeping into my voice. I said it smoothly, using my anger to my advantage.

Oceanus faltered. He rose the Trident, and our bonds began to melt.

"NO! FOOL! SHE'S CHARM SPEAKING YOU!"

But Oceanus realized a bit too late. I broke out, clothes sopping wet. Everyone else did the same.

"Now!" Percy said. And all the water on the floor turned into ice shards.

"Ready?" Dylan asked.

"Yep." Shawn nodded.

Then, everything broke loose.

Ice launched at the Titans. Oceanus sent them flying back at us, but the three of them sent them right back, even faster than the first time. Oceanus tried to deflect them, but some made contact. He roared in fury.

"You WILL NOT WIN!" he raised his Trident, which began to glow. Iapetus placed the helm of Darkness on his head, turning invisible instantly. And Kronos raised the Master Bolt.

"CRAP! RUN!" Nico screamed, turning and sprinting. But in front of him, a crater opened up and he fell through.

"Nico!" Percy turned. And a crater opened up under all of us too. And we began to fall to our deaths. But no one screamed.

It was almost casual and common now.

"Looks like we lost." Dylan muttered sourly.

"Well at least Olympus is still standing." I said optimistically.

And with that, Olympus shattered, sending pieces falling down towards the city below. I could hear evil laughter from up above.

"Okay. That sucked."

"Ya think?" Shawn moved closer.

"Sorry about what happened up there..." I apologized.

"Not a good time to apologize, JUST saying. We're kinda falling to our deaths here!" Zack cut in.

"What now?" Percy asked. Nico shrugged.

"Uh, scream? Say a few last prayers before we plunge into certain death?"

"Not a good plan." Annabeth muttered. "But no lie. We're screwed."

"Yep!" I agreed. "I can now see the ground rushing up towards us. I'm going to scream now."

So I screamed. And so did everyone else. And we didn't stop till we hit rock bottom.

I guess you're wondering where the happy ending is.

Thing is, though, this ain't a fairy tale. It's life. So things aren't always fair. Things don't always end up the way you wanted. Many people's happy endings were smashed right then. But hey, that's life.

So there's no happy ending. But this isn't the end. I'll tell you that. Hey, you must be crazy if you think it was just, POOF! The world ended! The story's over! Yeah, NO. Of course there's gonna be another freaking book! Though, that doesn't mean we'll live to be in that. You'll just have to stay tuned and read.

So now that I've left you with that cliff-hanger ending, it's about time I've sent you packing. Because I'm tired and we gotta get the last book in this series out, right? I don't want to get spammed with emails that say, "YOU BETTER UPDATE!"... Hades doesn't have good reception.

Crap! I just gave it away didn't I?... Oh well.

TV: o.o where are they?

RW: dead?

TV: who knows. Anyways... Thank you for reading ANSW... Blah blah blah... STAY TUNED!

RW: TRAILER WILL BE RELEASED SOON :D

TV: oh, and xD


	21. Trailer!

**HK: Trailer Time!**

**TT: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Wait… do we even need one? this is just a freaking' trailer!**

**PERCY SAVES THE DAY AGAIN?**

We were rushed out of the sinking death machine by a boy.

"Annabeth." he said quietly.

"Percy." she replied and hugged him. "You saved us"

"You should have let me die…"

**LOVE LIFE RUNS INTO TROUBLE…**

"You know, it would be nice if you cared for once!"

"What am I supposed to do? You expect me to save the day every time!"

"Zack… this isn't gonna work out…. we're over."

**DEATH…**

"Why don't you just kill me? I will only be miserable if I live. Let me die."

"WHAT? Tori, snap out of it! Common!"

"No! Why don't you understand?" She screamed, turning away.

**A NEW HERO?**

"Oh my gods!" I ran and hugged him. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I've come to help you, Tori."

"What are you saying?" she let go of him.

"You want Shawn back, don't you?"

**THE TITANS ARE STILL AROUND…**

"You haven't saved anyone, young demigod"

"Shut up!" I screamed. "You will never win!"

"Oh, but I already have" he laughed menacingly. "Take a look at the new Golden Age!"

**DID I MEANTION DEATH?**

"Get down from there!" I screamed. "You don't know what you are doing!"

"Tori I cant live like this. See you in Elysium!" She called sadly, as she charged into a hopeless battle with Alcatraz's hidden monster.

**UGH, HE'S BACK?**

I slapped him.

"Ow! What the Hades was that for?"

"That was for dying, and this…" She smashed her lips against his, melting into a kiss. She pulled back, smiling. "…was for coming back."

"AHHHHHHH!" Tia rammed into him, wrapping her arms around him "YOU ARE ALIVE! DON'T EVER LEAVE AGAIN OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

**SHE MOVED ON… OR DID SHE?**

"You are too late. I'm with him now. You're too late…" her voice drifted off.

"No! You cant leave with him! I have no use for living if you leave!"

"I'm sorry, Zack" Tears welled in her eyes as he put his arm around her.

"I guess the better man won, right buddy?" he smiled evilly and winked at me. She wont leave… with him..

**WELL THIS WAS FUN… NOW LET'S DESTROY THE WORLD!**

The group was dusty and dirty… like they have been hiding from something.

"Is that who I think it is?" Tia asked weakly.

"Oh my gods! You are back!" Tia ran to him and hugged him. Then pulled away. "Wait, I hate you!" She slapped him. "How could you put the world in this danger?"

**Well That's it for now! But read much more action, drama and love in the next story: A New Shattered World! Coming to your computer… NOW! :D**


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